LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 



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PRACTICAL 



BLACKSMITHING. 



A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED AT DIFFERENT TIMES BY 

SKILLED WORKMEN TO THE COLUMNS OF "THE BLACKSMITH 

AND WHEELWRIGHT" AND COVERING NEARLY THE 

WHOLE RANGE OF BLACKSMITHING FROM 

THE SIMPLEST JOB OF WORK TO 
SOME OF THE MOST COM- 
PLEX FORCINGS. 



^orarpih 
/ 

M. T. 'RICHARDSON, 



Corprpiled and Edited by 
/ 



Editor of "The Blacksmith and Wheelwright." 



IlylvUSTRATKID. 



VOLUME IL 



New York 
M. T. RICHARDSON, Publisher. 

1889. 







^ 



Copyright, 1889. 
By M. T. RICHARDSON. 



PRACTICAL BLACKSMITHING. 

VOL. II. 



PPxEFACE. 



In Vol. I. the editor of this work gave a brief ac- 
count of the early history of blacksmithing, so far as 
known, and described a few ancient and many mod- 
ern tools. 

Numerous plans of shops were given with best 
methods of building chimneys and constructing 
forges. 

This volume opens with a brief treatise on the 
early history of iron and steel. Artistic iron work 
is then considered, and the tests employed to show 
the strength of iron are given. 

It was the original intention to compress all the 
material relating to tools in Vol. I., but this was 
found to be impracticable without largely increasing 
the size of the volume, and possibly the price as 
well. It was deemed best therefore to devote so 
much of Vol. II., as might be necessary, to the fur- 



2 PREFACE. 

ther consideration of tools, and the reader will doubt- 
less agree with us that the space has not been 
wasted. 

Vol. III. will be devoted mainly to the consider- 
ation of jobs of work. 

The Editor. 



CHAPTER I. 

IRON AND STEEL. 

THEIR ANTIQUITY AND GREAT USEFULNESS. 

All mechanics, irrespective of the trades which 
they follow, have so much to do with iron in its vari- 
ous forms, either by working it or by using tools 
and instruments in the construction of which it forms 
an important part, tliat a brief consideration of the 
material, both retrospective and present, cannot fail 
to be of interest. To trace the development of iron 
from its earliest known exi tence to the present, and 
to glance at its use as a material of construction, 
that, unlike all others can rarely be dispensed with 
in favor of a .substitute equally desirable, cannot fail 
to be of the greatest interest. 

In the description of the building of Solomon's 
Temple there is no specific statement that iron was 
employed, although by inference it is understood 
that this material must have been Ub.ed in the tools 
of the workmen, if for no other purpose. It is not 
to be forgotten that the record says there was nei- 
ther hammer nor axe, nor tool of iron heard in the 



4 BLACKSMITHING. 

house while it was being built. A plausible con- 
struction to place upon this assertion is that the 
parts were fashioned and fitted together at distant 
places, and were joined noiselessly in completing 
the structure. This view of the case serves to point 
out the excellence of the skill of that day, for, how- 
ever great the care that is exercised at the present 
time by mechanics, few buildings are put up in which 
the sound of tools in the shaping of the various parts, 
after they have been sent to the building for putting 
up, might be dispensed with. 

King David, it 'is said, had in his collection of ma- 
terials ''iron in abundance for the doors of the 
gates and for the joinings." Other allusions to iron 
are to be found in the Old Testament Scriptures. 
Some passages are of figurative character, where 
iron Is the emblem of hardness, strength and power. 
Others are descriptive, and indicate its uses in those 
early times. 

The manufacture of iron existed in India from 
very remote antiquity, though carried on in a very 
primitive manner. Vast accumulations of slag and 
cinder are found spread over large areas in various 
districts, and the manufacture of iron is still carried 
on with little change from the ancient process. In 
one of the temples near Delhi there is a wrought- 
iron pillar sixty feet in length, which dates as far back 
as the fourth century of the present era. It is only 
of late years that the production of a shaft of these 



BLACKSMITHING. 5 

dimensions has been possible to the present race of 
iron-workers. 

The extent to which iron was employed by the 
ancient Egyptians is a problem difficult of solution. 
When the enormous labor expended upon the ma- 
sonry and sculpture in the hardest granite, and the 
beautiful surface and high finish generally displayed 
in the architectural works of that country are con- 
sidered, it seems difficult to imagine that tools in- 
ferior to the hardest steel could have produced the 
result, yet the evidence is exceedingly slight that any- 
thing of the kind was employed. Bronze is some- 
times found in ancient tombs in that country in a 
variety of forms, but iron is almost entirely wanting. 
Iron mines have been discovered in Upper Egypt, 
and the remains of iron-works have been found re- 
cently near Mount Sinai. An iron plate was found 
in one of the pyramids, and a sickle in one of the 
tombs at Thebes. 

The use of iron by the Romans was of compara- 
tively late introduction. The fine specular iron of 
the Isle of Elba had been smelted by the Etruscans 
from an early date, but it does not seem to have 
been extensively used in Italy. It was not until the 
time of the second Punic War that the Romans, ex- 
tending their conquests beyond their narrow orig- 
inal seat, obtained supplies of iron and steel from 
Spain, and discarded their bronze weapons for the 
harder and keener metal. Iron was little used by any 



6 BLACKSMITHING. 

of the ancient nations in building construction. 
When Virgil describes the splendors of Dido's rising 
city, no mention is made of iron in any form. Stone, 
with the addition of bronze for plating, are the ma- 
terials especially alluded to. 

In the New Testament mention is made of an iron 
gate which would seem to indicate that at that period 
iron had been brought into use in many forms, more, 
however, in the way of machinery, armor and weap- 
ons, than in building construction. For all construct- 
ive purposes bronze was gradually superseded by 
iron, and during the middle ages was worked with 
great skill and success. Iron employed at this period 
was not made by the process of fusion and puddling, 
but was obtained direct from the ore by roasting 
with charcoal and working It under the hammer. 
The metal thus obtained was of excellent quality, 
and such example^ as have come down to us indicate 
that it was very skilfully manipulated. Armor and 
weapons attained a high degree of efficiency, and 
were finished with great taste. 

There are very few specimens remaining in any- 
thing like perfection of the mediaeval smith's work. 
Enough fragments, however, are in existence to in- 
dicate the extreme beauty of the workmanship of 
this age. The rich and graceful curves of the work 
done at this time, together with their lightness and 
strength, show what capabilities exist In Iron when 
freely treated In accordance with Its nature. Prob- 



BLACKSMITHING. 7 

ably the grills or screens and the gates of the middle 
ages exhibited the art of the smith in its greatest 
perfection. Nothing that has been made in modern 
times is equal to the specimens which remain of that 
period. The wonder arises that, with such simple 
means as were at the command of the mechanics and 
artists of that day, such wonderful effects could be 
produced. 

During the Romanesque period iron does not 
seem to have been employed, even in carpentry or 
masonry. At the end of the twelfth century iron 
cramps were employed at the Cathedral of Notre 
Dame, Paris, to connect the stones of the cobbled 
corners. The oxidation of these cramps in the 
course of time had the effect of fracturing the stones. 
Experience in this practice does not seem to have 
taught wisdom, for, even at the present day, the mis- 
take of using iron in similar positions has frequently 
led to like results. 

We owe to Germany the discovery of the process 
by which fusible iron could be smelted from the ore. 
It probably arose from the gradual improvement of 
the blowing apparatus, by which the old blast bloom- 
erles were transformed Into blast furnaces. Cast 
iron was unknown prior to the middle of the six- 
teenth century. About 1550 the German system, 
above alluded to, was introduced into England, 
where there already existed great facilities in the 
enormous quantity of scoriae accumulated about the 



8 BLACKSMITHING. 

ancient bloomeries and in the abundance of timber 
for fuel. Progress in the art was so rapid that cast- 
iron ordnance was an article of export from England 
early in the seventeenth century. As the art of 
casting made progress, the art of the smith declined. 
The cheapness of cast iron and the facility with which 
it could be manipulated, led to its extensive use in 
every department of life. 

In 1735, t^^^ problem of smelting iron with pit 
coal was successfully solved, but it was not until 
within a very recent period that the advantages of 
iron on any great scale developed themselves. Down 
to the commencement of the present century the 
casting of iron pipe was so difficult and costly an 
operation, that in schemes for the supply of water 
to towns, wooden pipes were adopted for the mains. 
In 1777 the first experiment was made with iron as a 
material in bridge building. At present scarcely a 
bridge of any importance is constructed of other 
material. 

Having thus glanced hastily at the progress of 
manufacture and the use of iron from the earliest 
historical periods to the present time, the inquiry 
comes up, what is to be its influence in the future .f* 
That it will contribute materially to aid man's power 
over the elements of nature is certain, but the moral 
results which are likely to follow lie beyond our 
province. All true designs arise out of construction. 
Every style which has. attained any eminence owes 



BLACKSMITHING. g 

Its effect to the adoption of its essential parts as 
sources of beauty rather than an attempt to conceal 
them. The use of iron in any construction or design 
is a source of power and effect, put into the hands ot 
the architect for good or for evil. 

The Strength of Wrought Iron and Steel. 

There is something very interesting, but not alto- 
gether as yet understood, in the behavior and 
strength of iron and steel when loaded. 

It is all very well to institute certain tests to find 
the number of pounds it requires to break a piece 
having a sectional area of one square inch, and from 
this pronounce what is the strength of the iron ; be- 
cause, with our present knowledge and appliances, it 
is all we can do, and a test of some kind is of course 
imperative. It is a curious fact, however, that the 
strength of a piece of iron or steel varies according 
to the manner in which the load is applied. If the 
metal receives its load suddenly, it will break under 
a less weight than if the load comes on slowly and 
gradually increases ; and the difference is not a 
minute one either, for it is as great as 20 per cent 
under the two extremes of conditions. One of the most 
eminent constructing engineers in this country stated 
not long since, in reply to a question, that he would 
make as much as 20 per cent difference in the strength 
of two beams to receive the same load, one to have 



10 BLACKSMITHING. 

the load suddenly, and the other to have it gradual- 
ly applied. From this it is a fair and reasonable de- 
duction that if the load, when applied, caused vibra- 
tion, the beam would require still greater dimensions 
to be of equal strength, because vibrations are simply 
minute movements, and, in the case of horizontal 
beams, on moving downward increase the pressure of 
the load. 

A short time since some experiments were made to 
ascertain the strength of iron and steel wire, two 
specimens of each size of wire being used, one just as 
the iron came from the mill and the other an annealed 
specimen. 

The wires were suspended vertically, and a certain 
weight, as say lo lbs., was hung on them. Then in 
some cases a ^Ib. weight per day was added, in 
others i lb. per day, in yet others the weights were 
increased as fast as they could be put on, and in every 
instance it was found that the breaking strains in- 
creased according as the time between the increases 
of weight was made longer, the amount varying from 
lo to 20 per cent. The failure of the boiler plates of 
the English steamship Livadia elicited some inter- 
esting facts and strange opinions upon the behavior 
of low-grade steel. The facts concerning these 
plates are given below. The boiler was 14 feet 3 
inches diameter by 16 feet long. The plates were 
^-inch thick, lap-jointed and treble riveted. The 
plates were all punched, then slightly heated 



BLACKSMITHING. 1 1 

and bent to shape^ afterwards put together, and 
the rivet holes reamed out to size. While under 
this treatment one of the plates fell out of the 
slings on to an iron plate and was cracked right 
across the rivet holes. Naturally this gave some 
anxiety, but after the plates were all in the boiler 
itself, they cracked across the rivet holes in nearly 
all directions ; that is, many of them did. 

Investigation was immediately set up, chemically 
and mechanically, when it appeared, as nearly as 
could be ascertained, that although the stock was good 
of which the plates were made, it had not been 
thoroughly worked under the hammer before roll- 
ing. 

Dr. Siemens, the Inventor of the process which 
bears his name, asserts that annealing plates, either 
before or after working (punching), is of no ad- 
vantage ; tending, if anything, to injure rather than 
benefit the materials. Many practical men, how- 
ever, hold views in opposition to Dr. Siemens on 
this question. — By Joshua Rose. 

The Rotting and Crystallization of Iron. 

I noticed an article lately, in which an Iron work- 
er, who claims an experience of fifty years in his 
trade, says that iron rots as well as crystallizes un- 
der strain and jar. The latter part of this statement 
is correct in degree only. The springs of vehicles 



12 BLACKSMITHING. 

deteriorate by use and excessive strain, but not to 
the extent which the writer of the article I refer to 
represents, as the springs of thousands of old ve- 
hicles will attest, in which not a leaf is broken, al- 
though the remainder of the gear is worn out. 

And although iron may be crystalline in the frac- 
ture it does not lose its tensile strength to any great 
extent, unless under a very great strain or jar, as in 
the case of quartz-mill stamp stems, which are lifted 
and dropped about once a second, are run night and 
day, including Sundays, and even then will stand 
several years of this hard usage before breaking. 
The danger of iron losing its tensile strength is 
greatly exaggerated in the article in question. If it 
were not so people would be afraid to go over and 
under the Brooklyn bridge. 

The statement that iron rots is absolutely untrue, 
and if the crowbars referred to in the article men- 
tioned would not weld readily, and had a bad smell 
when heated, the odor was from the sulphur and 
phosphorus which the iron contained, and which was 
present in the iron when it was made, like much of 
the first iron in early attempts at iron making by 
usine" stone coal. The iron did not absorb, it could 
not have absorbed sulphur and phosphorus from 
age or exposure to the atmosphere. 

The art of iron making has progressed in spite of 
all statements to the contrary, and iron is made 
smelted with stone coal, which is as good as the best 



BLACKSMITHING. 1 3 

Swedish charcoal Iron, and even better for some 
purposes, and the iron makers manufacture any 
grade of Iron to suit price or purpose. 

When Iron, by reason of long-continued strain or 
jar, breaks^ showing a crystalline fracture, its chem- 
ical constituents are still the same as when it was 
made, and when heated and welded it will resume 
its fibrous appearance and Its original toughness, as 
I know from much practical experience in welding 
broken stamp stems and heavy iron axles. 

Rolling mills were invented about a hundred years 
ago, but if the practical wiseacre is in favor of the 
old system of laboriously pounding out a bar of iron 
filled with hammer marks by the trip hammer, why 
that settles the rolling mills of course. — By R. R. 

Steel and Iron. . 

I have been turning in my mind some of the gen- 
erally accepted theories about iron and steel, and 
wondering when the general public will drop the no- 
tion that the main distlnofuishlnof feature between 
the two is that one will harden and the other will 
not. 

Does a piece harden ? It Is steel. 

Is it found Impossible to harden another piece? 
It Is iron. 

Many people go no further than this in deciding 
the character of pieces under examination, and still 



14 BLACKSMITHING. 

there is steel that will not harden which Is almost 
equal to tool steel. Growing out of these wide dif- 
ferences between different steels and irons there is a 
continuous discussion and much misconception as to 
real facts. That a piece of Swedes iron of irregular 
structure, with minute seams, sand streaks and im- 
purities, should contain sufficient carbon to harden 
would hardly make it valuable for edge tools. Nor 
would a piece of cast-steel of the most unexception- 
able structure be of any great value for the same 
use, in a commercial sense, if the necessary carbon 
were lacking. How often is heard the very positive 
assertion in regard to certain articles which should 
be made of steel and hardened, " They are nothing 
but iron," and quite recently there has appeared in 
trade journals an article on cutlery, in which it is 
charged that " table knives are made of iron, on ac- 
count of the greater facility with which iron can be 
worked." 

That cast-iron shears and scissors with chilled 
edges, and cast-iron hammers and hatchets sand- 
wiched in with malleable iron and steel castings, to 
take the place of instruments which are generally 
supposed to be forged from steel and hardened and 
tempered in the regular way, are to be found on the 
market is true, but when it comes to goods which 
are made in the regular way, we need not believe 
that wrought iron is used to any great extent where 
steel should be. That a tool is soft does not prove 



BLACKSMITHING. 1 5 

that it might not have been hardened to be one of 
the best of its kind. That a tool proves to be as 
brittle as glass, breaking at the very beginning of 
service, does not prove that the steel of which it was 
made was of poor quality, for, properly treated, it 
might have been hardened to be of the very best. 

In this matter of deciding as to the merits of steel 
there is too much of jumping at conclusions, and so 
the self-constituted judges are continually called upon 
to reverse their decisions. No decision would be 
considered to be in order on a matter of law until the 
evidence was all in, and not till the evidence was laid 
before a judge and jury would they be asked to render 
a decision. No more can a man expect to decide off- 
hand the character of steel, for what may be attributed 
to poor quality may be due to bad condition caused by 
unfair treatment, while to know what would have 
been fair treatment one must know the quality of 
steel. Much stress is put upon the fact that only 
certain brands of imported steel are used by some 
iVmerican manufacturers, who tell us that ''they can 
depend upon it every time — well, nearly every time," 
and that "they don't have to be so particular about 
heating it. If it is heated a little too hot it won't 
crack, but will stand to do something. They like a 
little leeway." These men seem to think that it is 
just that particular brand of steel which possesses 
the qualities of safety of which they think so much, 
and we hear them say, 's steel does this and 



1 6 BLACKSMITHING. 

that, but you cannot do it with -'s steel, it would 

fly all in pieces treated the same way." 

How is it? Does anybody who has studied upon 
the subject a little, suppose that when a particular 
grade of steel of any brand has been found to be 
right for a certain use, while the first bar used of 
some other brand without reference to the erade has 
proved to be apparently of no value, that that settles 
it, or that ground is furnished for saying that the 
steel from one manufacturer shows certain charac- 
teristics which the other does not ? 

Then, after a certain grade of any brand of steel 
has been settled upon as right, it will not do to con- 
demn too broadly steel of another brand, which with 
the same treatment accorded to the favorite steel 
fails, for it is quite likely that, with the different 
treatment which this grade of the new brand requires, 
it might prove equally as good as the '' long-tried 
and only trusted steel," or, if not of the right grade, 
a grade could be furnished of the new brand fully as 
good as the best of the old brand, while it is reason- 
ably certain that had a change of grade with- 
out change of brand been made the result would 
have been much the same. Too much weight is put 
upon a name ; and we hear steel-workers lauding 
the especially good qualities of this or that steel 
and condemning the bad qualities of others, when 
the fact is that both the words of praise and blame 
apply to the grades of steel and their treatment and 



BLACKSMITHING. 1 7 

condition, not to the fact that this or that was made 
in Pittsburg or Sheffield. The steel maker, whether 
he will or not, must, and does, make a variety of 
grades — tempers — of steel ; and upon a judicious 
and honest selection of the right temper for any par- 
ticular use, and upon just the treatment required — 
especially in hardening — hang the desired results. 

*' Jessup steel doesn't do this," says one of its ad- 
mirers, but a grade of Jessup's can be had which 
will, without doubt. 

Said an enthusiastic admirer of a *' special" brand 
of imported steel to the writer : 

" That steel stands to do what no American steel 
will do at all ; on this work-tools from it have stood 
to work five and even six hours without grinding." 

A few months later this same man said, in speak- 
inof of the same work : 

*' The result in using tools made from the pieces 
of American steel which you sent by mail were sim- 
ply wonderful ; some of them stood to work without 
grinding two entire days of ten hours !" 

With steel of proper temper from reliable makers, 
there are possibilities of which many men who look 
upon steel as steel simply, and who judge its quality 
in advance by the brand it bears, have never 
dreamed ; and of those who pride themselves on be- 
ing thoroughly American, and still persist in using 
English steel, what can be thought, except that they 
have not carefully investigated to learn the merits 



1 8 BLACKSMITHING. 

of American steel ? For it is well known that for 
every difficult job done with English steel there is 




Fig. I — Wrought Iron Balustrade by M. Baudrit. of Paris. 

the equal done daily with American steel, — S. W. 
Goodyear, in tJie Age of Steel, 



BLACKSMITHING. 



19 



Modern French and English Wrought Ironwork. 

Attention has been called at different times to the 
possibilities in wrought iron work in the art line, 




Fig. 2 — Wrought Iron Railing by Ratcliff & Tyler, of Birmingham. 



and examples of work have occasionally been pre- 
sented showincr what has been done and may be 



20 BLACKSMITHING. 

done in this direction. Figs, i and 2 show two very 
handsome designs, Fig. i being a specimen of 
wrought ironwork from the establishment of M. 
Baudrit, of Paris. It is original in design and ad- 
mirable in execution. There is a charming variety in 
the work, characteristic of the high productions of 
French artists. The lower portion is solid, as the 
foundation of the terminal post of a balustrade 
should be, but it lies on the stairs naturally and 
elegantly. The upright pillar and hand-rail are 
sufficiently massive, while the decorative portion has 
all the light elegance of a flower. 

In this country our designers are wont to draw 
work of this kind for execution in cast iron, and so 
accustomed have we become to casting all orna- 
mental work of a similar character that our black- 
smiths scarcely know what it is possible to accom- 
plish with the hammer and anvil. Fig. 2 is not less 
striking, and is an example of work in good taste for 
a similar purpose to that shown in the first instance. 
It is as unlike it, however, in character and execution 
as the two nations from which these two pieces of 
work come. Fig. 2 represents a continuous balustrade 
executed by Messrs. Ratcliff & Tyler, of Birming- 
ham. An oval in the center is very happily arranged 
panel fashion between the scroll work which serves 
the purpose of pilasters. The design is neither too 
ornamental nor is it poor. The connecting links of 
the work, including the attachments to the stairs, are 



BLACKSMITHING. 21 

graceful and effective. This pattern also, If made in 
this country, would very likely be executed in cast 
metal, and would lose all those peculiar character- 
istics that render it attractive, and, as at present, 
considered an example of true art workmanship. 
The mechanical ingenuity of our smiths is univer- 
sally acknowledged, but in artistic taste and In the 
ability to execute ornamental work they are very 
much behind those of other nations. 

Upsetting Steel and Iron. 

I have recently read some things In relation to the 
upsetting of iron and steel, which are so much at vari- 
ance with the generally accepted ideas on the subject, 
and at the same time so flatly contradict what the 
every-day experiences of many mechanics show to 
be facts, as to prompt me to offer some testimony. 

First, as to the " Upsetting of Iron," for under 
this heading may be found in a trade journal of 
recent date a very interesting reference to the 
" quality of movements of the particles of iron under 
pressure or percussion." . . . " Red-hot iron can 
be pressed to fill a mold as clearly and exactly as so 
much wax could be." . . . '' Cold iron can also 
be molded Into form by pressure." . . . ''The 
heading of rivets, bolts and wood-screw blanks shows 
some surprising results in the compression of iron ; 
a No. 6 i-inch screw requires a piece of wire slightly 



22 BLACKSMITHING. 

more than i 1-2 inches lono- to form It. Yet the 
total length of the screw blank headed is just one 
inch. . . . Now, it has been proved by experi- 
ments with shorter bits of wire that less than five- 
sixteenths of an inch of the extra eight-sixteenths is 
required to form the screw head. What becomes of 
the remaining more than three-sixteenths of an inch 
in leno^th of an oriorinal i 1-2 inches that make the 
i-inch screw blank ? There can be but one answer 
— the iron is driven upon itself, ... so that 
I 1-16 inches of wire are compressed into seven- 
eiohths of an inch In leno^th without increasing the 
diameter of the wire." 

This flatly contradicts the assertions of scientific 
investigators, who have, after making many exhaust- 
ive experiments^ concluded that cold working of iron 
and steel, such as hammering, rolling, drawing, press- 
ing, upsetting, etc., do not increase the specific 
gravity. Is it likely that in the many careful exper- 
iments made by the most painstaking of men, the 
experiments involving the most accurate measure- 
ments possible, added to the unquestionable tests of 
specific gravity, there has been uniformly a miscon- 
ception of the real facts, and that experiments made 
by measuring a blank piece of wire — possibly with a 
boxwood rule — before heading, and again measuring 
the length of blank produced by heading the same 
wire, are to upset this proven fact, that ordinary cold 
working does not make iron and steel more dense ? 



BLACKSMITMING. 2^ 

Where does the iron go, then ? It goes to round 
up the contour of the die in which the blank is 
headed, that entire part of the block constituting the 
body, and to fill the die for the entire length of the 
body of the blank, through the upsetting process, to 
a fullness which in solid dies defies the efforts of any 
but the best of carefully hardened and tempered steel 
punches, from best of steel, to push out of the dies 
after heading rivets and screw blanks, making the 
question of what steel to use for '' punching out in 
solid die heading," one of the most important con- 
nected with the business. 

In heading a screw-blank or rivet, the first effect 
produced by the longitudinal pressure applied is to 
upset the piece of wire for its entire length. The 
diminution in length will produce an exactly propor- 
tionate increase in diameter up to the point when the 
wire fills the die so tightly as to transfer the most of 
the upsetting effect of the continued pressure to that 
part of the wire not encircled by the die, and then 
comes the heading, which begins by Increasing 
diameter and proportionately decreasing length, the 
metal being in a measure held by contact with the die 
and heading punch from lateral expansion. As the 
pressure continues, It assumes first a pear shape, simply 
following the not necessarily written law under which 
all metals under pressure yield In the direction of the 
least resistance, and soon a shoulder Is formed, which, 
coming in contact with the face of the die, or bottom 



24 BLACkSMlTHINC. 

of countersink, depending upon the shape of die, the 
direct or entire resistance to the pressure appHed has 
no longer to be supplied by the body of the wire as 
at first. But still, as the pear-shaped bulb is gradu- 
ally pressed out of that shape into the shape required 
in the completed blank or rivet, a time will come 
when a portion of the superfluous metal back of the 
body of the blank, or representing the center of the 
head, can escape more easily in the direction of the 
pressure, thereby still further increasing the diameter 
of the body of the blank, than to escape altogether in 
a lateral direction under the immense pressure re- 
quired toward the completion of the heading process. 

*' Without increasing the diameter of the wire," 
we quoted, it would not be possible, in any commer- 
cial sense, to do anything of the kind. Did the writer 
who stated as a fact that this w^as the rule realize the 
improbability of the statement which he virtually 
makes, i. c, that over 17^ per cent of the wire en- 
tering into the body of the blank described by him 
has been lost, if, as he says, the diameter remains un- 
chanoed ? 

I once made some carefully conducted experiments 
to prove or disprove the truth of the assertion, which 
I had often made, that cold swaging did increase the 
specific gravity of steel, but which was denied by 
those who, having learned by actual experiment that 
other cold working did not, felt sure that the effect 
of coldswacrinof would be the same as that of other 



BLACKSMITHING. ^S 

methods. My experiments were made with pieces of 
steel rod, each two feet in length, by reducing them 
by cold swaging until they were nearly eight feet 
long, and, having first carefully measured the original 
length and diameter, the increased length and de- 
creased diameter was to show by measurement 
whether the specific gravity had been increased by 
swaging. I have not the figures at hand, but they 
showed on my side ; still, when I presented them to 
my opponents, they met me with the statement that 
'' there was too little difference to talk about, and, if 
my measurement had been absolutely correct, I had 
established nothing further than to appear to show 
the exception, which proved the rule. Cold working 
did not increase density; this was a well-known prin- 
ciple." Well, it was not much. The fraction of an 
inch which showed the difference in length of pieces 
from what they should have been, had the specific 
gravity remained unchanged, was represented by a 
figure in the third or fourth place in decimals, not 
much like the 0.1875=3-16 of an inch, which the 
writer from whom we have quoted would have us be- 
lieve was lost from i ^ inches in length, when it is con- 
sidered that in my experiments there were pieces sixty- 
four times as lonp; in which lost metal mieht hide, 
and still not more than the one-hundredth part as 
much had hidden in the elo^ht feet as is claimed for 
ly^ Inches. 

Some facts are hard to swallow unless dressed up 



26 BLACKSMITHING. 

to appear reasonable. '' Upsetting Iron," as applied 
to heading, cannot be easily upset by anybody who will 
take the time to compare diameters and specific grav- 
i;y of wire before heading with those of headed 
blanks. 

" Upsetting steel " is spoken of by some persons, 
whose information on the subject of steel working is 
very extensive, as one of the most pernicious of 
practices, and, by the way the subject is treated, one 
might suppose that they fully believed that steel was 
made up of fibres, which must be always worked in 
one direction. Steel is of a crystalline nature — not 
fibrous — and such of it as will be ruined by upsetting 
within reasonable limits, the operation being per- 
formed intelligently, is not good, sound steel. 

Pursuing the subject of heading, I can testify that 
in the days when our grandfathers worked steel I 
made heading dies of two inches diameter by upset- 
ting ii^-inch octagon steel, which stood to do as 
much work as any that I could make from steel of 
other shape and size Of hundreds which were made 
in this way, I do not remember that seams or cracks 
resulted from upsetting in a single instance. If the 
steel was sound, and the work in upsetting was so 
distributed as to affect all parts of the mass alike, 
why should they ? 

As to upsetting cold chisels, strips of sheet-steel, 
iron, or pieces of steel of any shape which are so 
slender as to double up like straws from the power 



BLACKSMITHING. 27 

of the blow, there are not enough blacksmiths wast- 
ing time and injuring steel in that way to call for any 
protest. Steel is hammered with a view to improve 
it many times, in these latter days, in a manner so 
much like that in vogue with the '' old chaps" that it 
is a wonder that so many of them have ceased from 
labor without ever having been told that they had 
" monkeyed" steel. Well, if the devil has only got 
those smiths who hammered cold steel, there are not 
many smiths in his ranks yet. Heating steel as hot 
as it will bear and working it while hot, with injunc- 
tions not to try to draw cold steel, never to upset, may 
be construed to mean : hot as is best for steel, no 
hotter ; not cold, but continue hammering till the 
grain of the steel is well closed up and finer for ham- 
mering at a low heat than it could possibly be made 
if the hammering was all done while the steel was 
hotter. It don't seem that everybody does write In 
the papers against heating steel too hot, and nobody 
can come to the conclusion that half the trouble is 
caused by too little heat, if his experience and oppor- 
tunities for observation have been the same as mine. 
What a difference it makes where a chap, old or 
young, stands to look at a thing. But I am off the 
track. Upsetting steel Is the question. The screw 
blanks which were headed in the upset dies were 
threaded with rotary cutters. These cutters may be 
described as a section of a worm gear, the shape of 
tooth being that of the space between threads on a 



2S BLACKSMITHING. 

wood screw, and the cutter having a rotary motion 
in keeping with the rotary motion of the screw and 
with its own longitudinal motion as it traversed the 
length of the screw which it cut. The best of steel, 
according to our best judgment, was used for these 
cutters, but running through many of the best 
brands, from '* Jessup's" to ** Hobson's Choice Extra 
Best," these cutters did not stand as it seemed they 
ought to do. I was anxious to try a high grade of 
a certain brand, of which I could get none of the 
right size till it could be imported (this was in the 
days of the old chaps — grandfathers). I had some 
one-half of an inch or five-eii^hths of an inch round; 
the cutters were to finish round, over three-fourths 
of an inch diameter. I could not wait, so I made 
some cutters by upsetting the steel which I had. 
These cutters stood to do five times the work of the 
cutters I had been using ; and, willing to 'Met well 
enough alone," I continued using the same size of 
steel and upsetting. 

I once had for my job the lathe work on the hook 
for the Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine. As it 
came to me it was nothino- more nor less than a 
round-headed steel bolt, made in just the same way 
that a blacksmith would make any solid headbolt, by 
drawing a body to pass through the heading tool 
and upsetting the head. After this lapse of time — 
thirty years — I can hardly be expected to remember 
the character of each particular hook, but I do not 



BLACKSMITHING. 29 

remember that one of them was unsound as a result 
of upsetting. If steel gets too much work in one 
part and not enough in another, in any direction, 
hot or cold, it is likely to get broken up. Upsetting 
need not take all the blame. 

How much difference in fracture does anyone sup- 
pose will be found between breaking a bar of steel 
crosswise and breaking a piece of the same length 
of the width of the bar the other way of the grain } 
Cut two pieces of steel, each two inches long, from a 
two-inch square bar and draw one of them down to 
one inch square, or eight inches long in the direction 
of the length ; draw the other piece to the same size 
and length by upsetting at every other blow, or 
drawing crosswise. Who believes that the tool made 
from this last piece will be inferior to the one made 
the right way of the grain ? Some bars of steel, and 
steel for some uses, can be improved by the work 
which they can get on a smith's anvil. Some bars of 
steel, and steel for some uses, will be injured by the 
same treatment. When it is necessary or desirable 
to use the center of a bar of steel, and it is found to 
be in a coarse condition by reason of having been 
brought to shape and size by blows disproportioned 
to its cross-section, there is, perhaps, no better way 
of improving the grain at and near the center of the 
bar than to upset, and alternate the upsetting with 
work from the outside of the bar. 

Upsetting is not a cheap, easy or desirable thing to 



30 BLACKSMITHING. 

do, and is not likely to be resorted to often except 
when necessity compels ; but I see no use in making 
a bugbear out of it, when, if properly done, there is 
no harm in it, and in some cases actual good is done 
by it. It does not at least break up the center of the 
bar, as blows at right angles with its axis often do ; 
and, after seeing, as I have, thousands of good cut- 
ters made by upsetting, for uses requiring the utmost 
soundness and best condition of steel, I do not like 
to see the process tabooed without saying a word in 
its favor. — S. W. Goodyear, in The American Ma- 
chinist. 

Heating Steel in the Blacksmith's Fire. 

In heating steel, two faults are especially to be 
guarded against. First, over-heating; secondly, un- 
equal heating of the parts to be operated on 
(whether by forging or tempering). Referring to 
the first, many blacksmiths do not recognize that 
steel is burned unless it falls to pieces under the 
hammer blows, whereas that condition is only an ad- 
vanced stage of the condition designated as burnt. 
This is the secret of their partial failure, or, that is 
to say, of the inferiority of their work. Others recog- 
nize that from the time a piece of steel is overheated, 
to its arrival at the stage commonly recognized as 
burnt, a constant deterioration is taking place. 

In the practice of some, this excessive heating 
may be carried to so small a degree as not to be dis- 



BLACKSMITHING. 3 1 

cernible, except the tool be placed in the hands of 
an operator whose superior knowledge or skill en- 
ables him to put it to a maximum of duty, less skill- 
ful manipulators being satisfied with a less amount 
of duty. 

But in the case of stone-cutting tools especially, 
and of iron cutting tools when placed in the hands 
of very rapid and expert workmen, the least over- 
heating of the tool will diminish its cuttino- value as 
well as its endurance. A piece of steel that is burnt 
sufficiently to break under the forging hammer, or 
to be as weak as cast iron, will show, on fracture, a 
coarse, sparkling, granulated structure, and this is 
the test by which working mechanics, generally, 
judge whether steel is burned or not. But it is 
totally inadequate as a test to determine whether 
the steel has not suffered to some extent from over- 
heating. Indeed, although the grain becomes granu- 
lated and coarse in proportion as it is overheated, 
) et it may be so little overheated as to make no 
visible difference in the grain of the fracture, although 
very plainly perceptible in the working of the tooly if 
placed in the hands of a thoro7ighly good workman. 

When the results obtained are inferior, it is usual 
to place the blame on the steel, but in the case of 
well-known brands of steel, the fault lies, in ninety- 
nine cases in a hundred, in over-heating, either for 
the forging or for the tempering. 

In determining from the duty required of it, 



32 BLACKSMITIIING. 

whether a tool comes up to the highest standard of 
excellence, the best practice must be taken as that 
standard. Thus, if it is a metal cutting tool, as, say, 
a lathe tool, let the depth of cut be that which will 
reduce, at one cut, say, a four-inch wrought-iron 
shaft down to 3^^ inch diameter, the lathe making, 
say, 16 revolutions, while the tool travels an inch, 
and making from 25 to 30 revolutions per minute. 
Under these conditions, which are vastly in excess of 
the duty usually assigned in books to lathe tools, the 
tool should carry the cut at least four feet along the 
shaft without requiring grinding. 

If the tool is for stone work, let it be tested by 
the most expert and expeditious workman. These 
instructions are necessary because of the great dif- 
ference in the quantity of the work turned out in the 
usual way and that turned out by very expert work- 
men. 

At wdiat particular degree of temperature steel 
begins to suffer from overheating cannot be defined, 
because it varies with the quality of the steel. The 
proper degree of heat sufficient to render the steel 
soft enough to forge properly and not deteriorate in 
the fire is usually given as a cJiei^ry red, but this is 
entirely too vague for entirely successful manipula- 
tion, and, in practice, covers a wide range of tem- 
perature. The formation of scale is a much better 
test, for wdien the scales form and fall off of them- 
selves, the steel, in fine grades of cast steel, is over- 



BLACKSMITHING. 33 

heated, and has suffered to some extent, though the 
common grades of spring or machine steel may per- 
mit sufficient heat to have the scale fall off without 
the steel being worked. As a rule, the heat for 
tempering should be less than that for forging, and 
should not exceed a blood red. There are special 
kinds of steel, however, as, for example, chrome 
steel, which require peculiar heating, and in using 
them strict attention should be paid to all instruc- 
tions given by the manufacturers. 

Steel should be heated for forging as quickly as 
compatible with securing an even degree of heat all 
through the part to be forged, and heated as little 
as possible elsewhere. If this is not done the edges 
or thin parts become heated first, and the forging 
blows unduly stretch the hottest parts, while the 
cooler parts refuse to compress ; hence a sort of tear- 
ing action takes place, instead of the metal moving 
or stretching uniformly. 

The steel should be turned over and over in the 
fire, and taken frequently from the fire, not only to 
guardagainst overheating, but because it will cool the 
edges and tend to keep the heat uniform. 

The fire may be given a full blast until the steel 
begins to assume redness at the edges or in 
the thin parts, when the blast must be reduced. 
If the thin part is heating too rapidly it may 
be pushed through the fire into the cooler coals 
or taken out and cooled in the air or in water, 



34 BLACKSMITHING. 

but this latter should be avoided as much as 
possible. 

When the steel Is properly heated, it should be 
forged as quickly as possible. Every second of time 
is of the utmost importance. 

There must be no hesitation or examining while 
the steel is red-hot, nor should It be hammered after 
it has lost its redness. There is, it is true, a common 
impression that by lightly hammering steel while 
black-hot it becomes impacted, but this only serves 
to make the steel more brittle, without increasing its 
hardness when hardened. 

If the tool has a narrow edge, as in the case of a 
mill pick or a chisel, the first hammer blows should 
be given on those edges, forging them clown at first 
narrower than required, because forging the flat 
sides will spread the edges out again. These edges 
should never be forged at a low heat ; indeed, not 
at the lowest degree of red heat, or the steel at the 
outer edge is liable to become partly crushed. 

What is known as jumping or upsetting — that Is, 
forging the steel endways of the grain should be 
avoided, because it damages the steel. 

As the steel loses its temperature, the blows should 
be delivered lighter, especially upon the edges of 
the steel. 

The hammer blows for drawing out should have 
a slight lateral motion in the direction in which the 
steel is to be drawn, so that the. hammer face, while 



BLACKSMITHING. 35 

meeting the work surface, fair and level, shall also 
draw the metal in the lateral direction in which the 
face of the hammer is moving at the moment of im- 
pact. — By Joshua Rose, M.E. 

Testing Iron and Steel. 

The English admiralty and '' Lloyds'" surveyors 
tests for iron and steel are as follows : 

Two strips are to be taken from each thickness of 
plate used for the internal parts of a boiler. One- 
half of these strips are to be bent cold over a bar, 




Fig. 3 — Clamping in a Steam Hammer for the Purpose of 

Bending. 

the diameter of which is equal to twice the thickness 
of the plate. The other half of the strips are to be 
heated to a cherry red and cooled in water, and, 
when cold, bent over a bar with a diameter equal to 
three times the thickness of the plate — the angle to 



36 BLACKSMITHINC. 

which they bend without fracture to be noted by the 
surveyor. Lloyds' circular on steel tests states that 
strips cut from the plate or beam are to be heated 
to a low cherry red, and cooled in water at S2^ 
Fah. The pieces thus treated must stand bending 
double to a curve equal to not more than three times 
the thickness of the plate tested. This is pretty se- 




Fig. 4, — Bending under a Steam Hammer over a Hollow Anvil and by 

means of a Round Bar. 



vere treatment, and a plate containing a high 
enough percentage of carbon to cause any tempering 
is very unlikely to successfully stand the ordeal. 
Lloyds' test is a copy of the Admiralty test, and in 
the Admiralty circular it is stated that the strips are 
to be one and a half inches wide, cut in a planing 
machine with the sharp edges taken off. One and 
a half inches will generally be found a convenient 



BLACKSMITHING. 



37 



width for the samples, and the length may be from 
six to ten inches according to the thickness of the 
plate. If possible, the strips, and indeed all speci- 
mens for any kind of experimenting, should be 
planed from the plates, instead of being sheared or 
punched off. When, however, it is necessary to 
shear or punch, the pieces should be cut large and 




Fig. 5 — Bending Still Further by means of a Steam Hammer. 



dressed down to the desired size, so as to remove 
the injured edges. Strips with rounded edges will 
bend further without breaking than similarstrips with 
sharp edges, the round edges preventing the appear- 
ance of the small initial cracks which generally ex- 
hibit themse'ves when bars with sharp edges are bent 
cold through any considerable angle. In a homo- 
oeneous material like steel these initial cracks are 



,8 



BLACKSMITHING. 



very apt to extend and cause sudden fracture, hence 
the advantage of slightly rounding the corners of 
bending specimens. 

In heating the sample for tempering it is better 
to use a plate or bar furnace than a smith's fire, and 
care should be taken to prevent unequal heating or 
burning. Any number of pieces may be placed to- 
gether in a suitable furnace, and when at a proper 




Fig. 6 — A Simple Contrivance by which a Common Punching Machine 
may be converted into a Testing Apparatus. 

heat plunged into a vessel containing water at the 
required temperature. When quite cold the speci- 
mens may be bent at the steam-hammer, or other- 
wise,, and the results noted. The operation of bend- 
ing may be performed in many different w^ays ; per- 
haps the best plan, in the absence of any special 
apparatus for the purpose, is to employ the ordinary 
smithy steam-hammer. About half the length of the 



BLACKSMITHING. 39 

specimen is placed upon the anvil, and the hammer- 
head pressed firmly down upon it, as in Fig. 3. 
The exposed half may then be bent down by repeat- 
ed blows from a fore-hammer, and if this is done 
with an ordinary amount of care it is quite possible 
to avoid producing a sharp corner. An improve- 
ment upon this is to place a cress on the anvil, as 
shown at Fig. 4. The sample is laid upon the cress, 
and a round bar, of a diameter to produce the re- 
quired curve, is pressed down upon it by the ham- 
mer-head. The further bending of the pieces thus 
treated is accomplished by placing them endwise 
upon the anvil-block, as shown in Fig. 5. If the 
hammer is heavy enough to do it, the samples 
should be closed down by simple pressure, without 
any striking. Fig. 6 is a sketch of a simple con- 
trivance, by means of which a common punching 
machine may be converted temporarily into an 
efficient test-bending apparatus. The punch and 
bolster are removed, and the stepped cast-iron block, 
A, fixed in place of the bolster. When a sample is 
placed endwise upon one of the lower steps of the 
block A, the descending stroke of the machine will 
bend the specimen sufficiently to allow of its being 
advanced to the next higher step, while the machine 
is at the top of its stroke. The next descent will effect 
still further bending, and so on till the desired curv- 
ature is attained. It would seem an easy matter, 
and well worth attention, to desisfn some form of 



40 



BLACKSMITHING. 



machine specially for making bending experiments; 
but with the exception of a small hydraulic machine, 
the use of which has, I believe, been abandoned on 
account of its slowness, nothing of the kind has 
come under the writer's notice. 

The shape of a sample after it has been bent to 
pass Lloyds' or the Admiralty test is shown at Fig, 
7. While being bent the external surface becomes 
greatly elongated, especially at and about the point 
A, where the extension is as much even as fifty per 




Fig. 7 — Shape of a Sample after being Bent to pass the Admiralty Test. 



cent. This extreme elongation corresponds to the 
breaking elongation of tensile sample, and can only 
take place with a very ductile material. While the 
stretching is going on at the external surface, the 
interior surface at B is being compressed, and the 
two strains extend into pieces till they meet in a 
neutral line, which will be nearer B than A with a 
soft specimen. When a sample breaks the differ- 
ence between the portions of the fracture which 
have been subject to tensile and compressive strains 
can easily be seen. Fig. 8 shows a pi»ece of plate 



BLACKSMITMING. 4 1 

olded close together ; and this can generally be 
done with mild steel plates, when the thickness does 
not exceed half an inch. 

Common iron plate will not, of course, stand any- 
thing like the foregoing treatment. Lloyds' test 




Fig. 8— A Piece of Plate Folded Close Together. 

for iron mast-slates ^ inch thick, requires the plates 
to bend cold through an angle of 30^ with the grain, 
and S^. across the grain ; the plates to be bent over 
a slab, the corner of which should be rounded with 
radius of ^4 inch. 

The Treatment of Steels. 

- I think it possible that some ideas of mine on the 
subject of the treatment of steel may be of interest, 
but I do not make these remarks for the purpose of 
attacking any opinions that have been advanced on 
this matter by others. 

My purpose is simply to call attention to some 
important facts which appear to have been unknown 
or overlooked by the advocates of certain methods 
of treating steel. 

First, let me say that I have no faith in the idea 



4^ BLACKSMITIIING. 

that the operator can be guided correctly by color In 
the tempering or hardening of steel. If the word 
steels is used instead of steel, and if the teacher in 
the mysteries of hardening and tempering is thor- 
oughly familiar with the character of each particular 
steel — and their name is legion, with the exact heat 
at which each would harden to the best advantage, 
and the precise color at which the temper should be 
drawn — this would not be enough to justify him in 
laying down the color or any other specific rule. He 
should also be able to make millions of pupils see a 
color exactly alike, use the same kind of fuel, work 
in the same light and remember the precise heat 
and color necessary for each particular steel. Then, 
and not till then, he may speak of specific rules. 

Is it asked what can be clone if no specific method 
will apply ? The reply is, that with so great a va- 
riety of steels and such a variety of grades of the 
same steels, with such a variety of treatments re- 
quired for pieces of different sizes of precisely the 
same steel, we must look for successful hardening 
and tempering to the intelligence and powers of ob- 
servation and comparison to be found among those 
who do this most important part of tool-making. 

These rules will, however, apply in every case. 
Try to learn the low^est heat at which each partic- 
ular steel will harden sufficiently to do the work for 
which it is intended, and never exceed that heat. 
Harden at a heat which calls for no drawing down 



BLACKSMITHING. 43 

to a blue to remove brittleness. Hardened at the 
proper heat, steel Is stronger without drawing the 
temper than it is before hardening. Whenever hard- 
ened steel snaps off like glass at a little tap, and 
shows a grain as coarse, or coarser than it showed 
before hardening, don't say " It is too hard," but say 
*'It was too hot." Steel is hardened by heating to 
the proper heat and cooling suddenly. Good results 
can never be obtained by heating steel too hot for 
sudden cooling, and then cooling in some mixture 
or compound which will cool the overheated steel 
more gradually. Overheating steel does mischief 
which cooling gradually only partially removes. 
Many a man who hardens in some mixture or com- 
pound to prevent cracks or distortion, may learn 
that at a lower heat he may use a bath of cold water 
with equal safety and better results. — By S. W. G. 

Hints About the Treatment of Steel. 

A practical worker in steel gives the following 
hints in reference to the treatment of tool steel. 

He says: ''Bosses of machine and other shops 
where considerable steel is used would be astonished 
could they see the amount of loss to them in broken 
taps, dies, reamers, drills and other tools accumulat- 
ed in one year. I do not mean to say that tools 
can be made and hardened that will not break, but I 
do say fully one-third, especially taps, are broken by 
being improperly tempered. ^ ^'' *"* Thousands of 



44 BLACKSMITIilNG. 

dollars are lost In waste of steel and loss of time by 
men who try to do what they have never learned. 

" First of all, never heat steel in any fire, except 
a charcoal fire, or a lead bath, which gives It a uni- 
form heat (I mean steel tools of any kind). Rain- 
water Is the best water for hardening, as It contains 
less lime than either well or river water. Water 
should never be very cold for hardening tools, as the 
sudden contraction of the steel will cause It to crack, 
more especially in cutting dies, where there are 
sharp corners. 

'' To insure thorough hardness, salt should be 
added to the water until the same becomes quite 
brackish. The salt will cause the water to take hold 
of the steel and cool it off gradually. I find rock or 
fish salt to be the best, though table salt will answer. 
The salt Is also beneficial to the carbon in steel. 

*' For removing scale from steel when put Into wa- 
ter, ivory black should be used, putting it on the 
steel while It Is heating, and letting it remain till the 
steel goes into the water. 

" In tempering taps, reamers, twist drills and oth- 
er like tools, great care should be taken to put them 
In the water In a perpendicular line^ and slowly, not 
allowing them to remain stationary in the water, as 
there is danorer of there beino^ a water crack at the 
water line. 

'' A good way to draw the temper is to heat a col- 
lar, or any suitable iron with a hole in the center, 



BLACKSMITHING. 45 

and draw the tool backward and forward through It 
until the right temper is obtained, which will be 
uniform." 

On the Working of Steel. 

Allow me to express a few thoughts in regard to 
the degree of heat steel can be worked for edge 
tools. And in doing so I shall no doubt differ with 
many ; but what of that ? If we all had one way of 
doing work what would be the use of giving ''our 
method'' for doing anything? Some tell us that steel 
should never be heated above a cherry-red, others 
say it should not be hot enough to scale, and many 
suppose if heated to a white heat the steel is burnt 
and utterly worthless. Now If all this be true, how 
in the world could an edge tool ever be made, and 
of what practical use would they be when they zvere 
made ? 

Can steel be put into an axe or any other tool 
without heating the steel above a cherry-red heat? 
If so, I would like to have some one tell me how, as 
I have never learned that part of the trade. I do not 
believe that iron or steel can be welded at a cherry 
heat. 

My experience in the working of steel during the 
past fifteen years has been mostly confined to the axe 
business. I have made and repaired during this time, 
several hundreds of axes, and the work has given 
unparalleled satisfaction. My experience in the mat- 



46 BLACKSMITHING. 

ter has convinced me that the dec^ree of heat steel 
should be worked depends very much upon circum- 
stances. For instance, if I am going to fix over an 
axe, and wish to reduce the steel to one-half or three- 
fourths of its present thickness, I have no fears of 
any bad results if the steel is brought to a white 
heat to commence with. But when nearly to the 
required thickness, I am careful not to heat above 
a cherry-red. And when the last or finishing touch 
is given by the hammer it is at a low heat, when but 
a faint red is discernible. I never finish forging an 
edge tool of any kind at a cherry-red heat. The fin- 
ishing should be clone at as low a heat as to refine 
the steel, and leave it bright and glossy. 

In heating to temper, the greatest care should be 
observed that an even cherry wood heat is obtained. 
I do not deny that injury may occur by overheating. 
This every smiih knows to be true; but I do claim 
that it can be remedied, and the fine grain of the 
steel restored when the nature of the work will 
admit of a suitable amount of forging. When it 
will not, I never heat above a cherry-red. — By W. 
H. B. 

Hardening Steel. 

On the subject of the hardening of steel I will say 
that salt water is not more liable to crack steel in the 
hardening process than is freshwater. In fact, clear 



BLACKSMITHING. 47 

and pure water Is the best thing that can be used in 
making steel hard. 

The best mode of annealing heavy blocks of cruci- 
ble cast-steel Is to heat the block to a uniform red 
heat, and as soon as you have obtained this heat place 
the steel In a cast-Iron or sheet-Iron box, made as 
shown in Fig. 9, of the accompanying illustrations. 
This box is filled with common lime and wood ashes, 
equal parts of each. In placing the steel in the box 




Fig. 9 — Showing the Box used in Hardening Steel by the Method of 

"H. R. H." 



try to keep about 4 or 5 Inches of lime below the 
steel, then put 4 or 5 inches on top of the steel, close 
up the box and let it remain there to cool off slowly, 
which will require from 24 to 48 hours. Generally 
crucible cast-steel will anneal best at a low red heat, 
if treated as described. 

The only secrets in annealing steel, that I know of, 
are to exclude air from the steel as much as possible, 
while It is annealing, and to avoid overheating. 



48 BLACKSMITHING. 

For hardening drop hammer dies, I would suggest 
the use of the water tub, shown in Fig. 10. In the 
illustration, A is the water supply pipe, which, as 
shown by the dotted lines, runs down to the bottom 
of the tub and over to its center, where the pipe is 
bent up, as shown at D, At x, x, x, x there are four 
holes, which represent waste pipes that carry off all 
the water that comes above their level. This water 
passes on down through to the main waste pipe O at 



Fig. 10 — Showing the Water Tub. 

E. The cut-off shown is used when cleaning the tub 
or box. 

To harden a heavy die proceed as follows : Get 
a uniform bright red heat on the steel, then place it 
in the water tub with the face of the die in the 
water, the steel being supported in the tub by the 
two hangers, F E, as shown in Fig. 10. C indicates 
the water's edge and depth, and shows the position 
of the die in the water, Before placing the die on 



BLACKSMITHING. 49 

the hangers be sure to have the two hangers In 
their proper places, have the water in the supply 
pipe, A, turned on with full force, and be sure that the 
die is placed directly over the middle of the supply 
pipe at D. We will say the die B, in Fig. lo, is 
lo X 5 X 6 inches; a bulk of steel like this will heat 
much water, and therefore while the supply pipe 
furnishes cold water, the waste pipes, x, x, x, Xy 
carry off all the hot or warm water as fast as the steel 
heats it. In Fig. 1 1 I give a side view of the die on the 
hanger, F, F, showing the ends that hook over the 




Fig. 1 1 — Side View of the Die. 

sides of the tub. The cut also shows how the die 
is placed at an angle in the water. B indicates 
the portion of the die out of the water line, and 
A represents the part in the water. It is not 
necessary to keep the dies moving during the hard- 
ening process, but keep the water moving, and there 
will be no trouble. 

The best way to harden trimming dies is to always 
examine thoroughly the die before you dip it, and 
turn it while dipping so that all the thick or heavy 
parts enter the water first, 



50 



BLACKSMITHING. 



The best mode of hardening punches is to harden 
them first in cold water, and then draw the temper 




Fig. 12 — The Furnace for Heating and Drawing Temper. 



to suit the work they are intended for. While the 
die is hanging in the tub, as in Fig. lo, it would 
do no harm to utilize a tin cup in pouring water on 



BLACKSMITHING. 



51 



the bottom of the die, which is out of the water. I 
have seen hundreds of blocks of steel hardened this 
way with the best of success. I never have the tem- 
per drawn for drop hammer dies. The harder you 
can get them the better. 

In Fig. 12 I show a furnace for heating and 
drawing temper. This furnace is 3 feet 6 inches 
wide and 4 feet 4 inches long. At ^ it is 2 
feet 6 inches from the ground to the top of the 
cast-iron plate B. From plate B to the under side 





Fig. 13— Showing the Grate-Box, Blast- Pipe and Grate. 



of the top, F, it is 16 inches in height. A is the grate, 
D is the ash-pan, C is the door, and X is the 
damper. Hard coke is the best fuel I know of 
for this furnace except charcoal. In using the coke 
start the fire, close the door and get the coke red, 



52 



BLACKSMITHING. 



then put in the steel that is to be annealed or 
hardened. In heating you can gain much by reg- 
ulating the damper X Fig. 13 shows the grate 
box used in the furnace. At Dy Z?, the box has 
two hooks, which hold up the box door. This door 
is fastened to the other side of the box with two 
hinges. h\, A is a blast pipe hole to which the 
point of pipe B is bolted. C is part of the grate 
used. Three pieces of this kind are used to make 
the full grate. This is done to allow the use of 




Fig. 14— The Plate for Holding the Grate-Box. 



two blank grates and one open grate when a small 
fire is desired, or you can use two open grates 
and one blank, or all three may be open grates, 
just as your work requires. Fig. 14 shows the plate 
in which the grate box is hung when in use. This 
plate is bolted to two iron bars in the furnace, and 
on this place the brick work is laid. The chimney 
can be used on the side, end or middle. I prefer 
it in the center, as shown in the illustration. The 



BLACKSMITHING. 53 

plate, By of the furnace is cast-iron i 1-4 inches 
thick, 10 inches wide, and the length is the same 
as the width of the furnace. The best steel I can 
get for drop and trimming dies is made at the 
Crescent Steel Works, Pittsburgh, Pa. I think 
the illustrations fully explain themselves without 
any further description — By H. R. H. 



To Select Good Tool Steel. 

One way is to break a bar of steel and observe the 
grain, which should be fine and present a silvery look, 
with sometimes an exfoliated appearance. The best 
test of steel is to make a cold chisel from the bar to 
be tested, and, when carefully tempered, try it upon 
wrought iron, a piece of old wagon-tire, for instance. 
The blows given will pretty correctly tell its tenacity 
and capability of holding temper. If it proves tough 
and serviceable take this temper as a guide, and 
temper your steel in like manner. Inferior steel is 
easily broken, and the fracture presents a dull, even 
appearance, which might be appropriately termed a 
lifeless look.— ^;' W. B. H, 

Different Kinds of Steel. 

Blister steel is made by causing the carbon of char- 
coal to penetrate iron in a heated state. German 
steel is blister steel rolled down into bars. Sheet 



54 BLACKSMITHING. 

Steel is made by hammering blister steel. Double 
shear steel is made by cutting up blister steel and 
putting it together and hammering again. Crucible 
steel is made by melting in a pot blister steel and 
wroucrht iron or unwroueht iron and charcoal and 
scrap. Bessemer steel is made by blowing air through 
cast-iron, burning out the silicon and carbon. Open 
hearth steel is made by melting pig-iron and mixing 
wrought iron or scrap steel, or iron ore to reduce the 
silicon and carbon. 

Restoring Burnt Steel. 

To restore the original qualities to steel which has 
been burnt in the forge, plunge the metal at red heat 
into a mixture of two parts of pitch, two parts of 
train oil, one part of tallow, and a small quantity of 
common salt. Repeat the operation two or three 
times. Excellent results have frequently been so 
obtained. 

Cold Hammering Iron. 

To the statement by a writer on this subject that 
" it either is, or ought to be known to all practical 
men that hammering a piece of the best and tough- 
est iron In the process of forging until it ceases to 
be red hot, will remove and destroy its tenacity so 
as to render It capable of being broken w^ith the 
slightest blow," practical men must say, '' depends." 



BLACKSMlTHlNG. 55 

It depends upon the character of the iron, and upon 
how the hammering is done. As between hot work- 
ing, and the finishing blows " of cold hammering," 
/. c, hammering at black heat — not cold — there are 
two reasons why the effect so strongly deprecated 
is produced. 

First, the iron is less yielding in this semi-cold 
state and so would not be affected clear through, 
or as nearly through, by the same blows it received 
when hot. 

Second, the blows during the cold hammering are 
light compared with what were used when the heat 
was greater. Thus, if the best conditionof the mass 
is considered, we have the heaviest blows when least 
force is needed, and the lightest blows when to move 
the mass the heaviest are needed, and so, while the 
''requisite finish and fine surface " result from the 
cold hammering there is an evil effect produced, not 
from the hammering per se, but, from the fact that 
only the surface being affected to any considerable 
extent, the desirable homogeniety of condition is de- 
stroyed and unequal strains are set up which can only 
be relieved by annealing. 

Quoting again, *' By subjecting wrought-iron to 
the most violent hammering or compression at a low 
temperature, and then submitting the iron work so 
treated to the simple process of heating red hot and 
slow cooling, we enhance Its tenacity, or shock sus- 
taining qualities at least twenty times." 



56 BLACKSMITHING. 

Now, without questioning the accuracy of this 
statement, is it not fair to ask if cold working is done 
in a way to affect the entire mass acted upon clear 
through, putting all parts as nearly as possible in the 
same condition would there not h& greater '^ tenacity 
or shock-sustaining qualities" zvithoiit subsequent 
annealing ? 

In cold working of both wrought iron and steel, 
the writer has had to do with, and opportunity for 
observing the effect of reduction as great as Irom 25 
per cent, to 75 per cent, often from drawn wire, not 
annealed after drawing, and without heating or an- 
nealing after such cold working, millions of these 
pieces have been bent, flattened, riveted and other- 
wise treated in a way to test their tenacity, without 
shov/ing any sign of having had the '' tenacity re- 
moved or destroyed," but on the contrary greatly in- 
creased, while actual tests for tensile, torsional, or 
transverse strength showed great increase in these 
directions, but which increase would, in a great 
measure, be lost by '' heating red hot and slow cool- 
ing." If, in the article under consideration, the term 
cold-hammering had been used only, this would not 
have been written, but, as the terms " swaging" and 
*' compression" were used, the door was opened. 
What is the difference ? It is immense in its effect, 
as between simple hammering and swaging, be- 
tween compression — squeezing — blows and hammer- 
ing. 



BLACKSMITHING. 57 

Hammering Implies working between two plain 
faces which allows some parts of the metal acted 
upon to escape from the compressive effect of the 
blows more easily than other parts, hence unequal 
conditions result. Swaging implies the use of dies, 
which hold all parls of the metal acted upon up to 
the work they are to receive, and so produce an 
equable condition all through the mass. Again, com- 
pression, as against blows, produces effects peculiar 
to itself in that the work takes place in a gradual, 
gentle manner, rather than through shock and vio- 
lence. Just why there is so marked a difference, 
whether it Is because the parts composing the mass 
having more time are able to arrange themselves 
differently from what they do under the sudden effect 
of blows, whether the less friction of changing parts 
and less consequent heat, or any other of many 
guessed at causes lie back of what strikes the aver- 
age mechanic as a phenomena, a paradox, will prob- 
ably remain an open question for some time to come. 
That compressive swaging, properly done, however, 
will increase tenacity and strength tested in any way 
we choose, by bending, twisting, pulling, etc., is an 
unquestionable fact. 

Pieces of cast-steel wire of high carbon percent- 
age, suitable for drills, have been reduced by cold 
swaging sufficiently to become elongated more than 
700 per cent, and then tied In knots and drawn up 
almost as tightly as would be possible in the case of 



58 BLACKSMITHING. 

a String. That this could be done when the fact Is 
taken into consideration that the wire had been cold- 
worked — drawn since annealing — and was conse- 
quently in that condition so deprecated in the article 
under notice, the subsequent cold-working — swaging 
— taking place without annealing or heating after the 
drawing, and the knots being tied after the swaging 
with no heating or annealing, should settle the ques- 
tion, to some extent at least, whether cold-working 
per se, is the destructive agent which some believe it 
to be. — By S. W. Goodyear. 



CHAPTER II. 

BOLT AND RIVET CLIPPERS. 

A Bolt and Rivet Clipper. 

Cutting off bolts and rivets with a cold chisel is 
not very convenient in a shop where only one man is 
working : for instance, a blacksmith shop in a small 
town. Very good bolt and rivet clippers are now 
manufactured, but many blacksmiths cannot afford 
to pay eight or ten dollars for a bolt clipper, and so 
they have some one to hold a hammer or bar on one 
side of the bolt while the smith cuts from the other 




o 

Fig. 14— Showing how the Knife is made for Bolt and Rivet Clipper. 

side with a dull chisel, and now and then hits his 
hand, or the end of the bolt flies in his eye or in the 
eye of the man that holds the bar. Then very often 
the end of the bolt goes through a window, and be- 
fore they get through with their job the smith is very 
mad. 

About three years ago I made a good and cheap 
bolt clipper, which is shown in the accompanyino- il- 



6o 



BLACKSMITHING. 



lustrations, Figs. 14 to 17. It is made as follows: 
A piece of steel ^ x i inch and 6 inches long is 
welded to a ^-inch round rod 12 inches long, and 




Fig. 15 — Showing the two Jaws together. 

the end of the steel is turned up half an inch for a 
nipper or knife, as at A in Fig. 14. In Fig. 15 the 




Fig. 16 — The Purchase Lever. 



two jaws or nippers are together. B, in Fig. 15, is a 
spring used to raise one jaw when the tool is applied 




Fig. 17— Showing the Clipper completed. 

to a rivet. The upper jaw works loosely in a slot 
hole at C, A small hole is punched six inches from 
the end for the spring. A nut is used to fasten the 



BLACKSMITHING. 



6l 



spring. In Fig. i6 the purchase lever is shown. 
This is made of inch-square iron and 12 inches of 
^-round iron, or just as the lower handle is made. 
A. ^-inch round hole is punched in one side at D, 




\2a 



S 




H 



mr-< 



Fig. 18 — Cut Nippers as made by " Steel Square. 



as in Fig. 16. In Fig. 17 the clipper Is shown as it 
appears when put together and ready to be applied 
to a bolt. 



62 BLACKSMITHING. 

Fig. 17 is a side view of the clipper. The jaws, F, 
Fy must be close to the piece W, When you press 
down the lever the lower side of the head commences 
to press down. This clipper can be made in half a 
day and will answer for most jobs. — By E. H. Wehry. 

Cut Nippers. 

I send you a sketch, Fig. 18, of a pair of cut nip- 
pers I invented. They are not patented, nor will 
they be. Three-eighths-inch iron can be cut with them 
with ease. 

A A are steel cutters down to joints SS, and they 
may be made of any shape to suit. At B there are 
two links bolted to the cutter, one on each side. The 
joint R 7? would be difficult to forge, so it is made of 
malleable iron, and is bolted on the side of the handle 
H, There are two of these made with a shoulder 
on the inside. The right-hand part is bolted on the 
edge of the other handle 77, is the same thickness 
as the handle and sets in between the otlier two, 
being held by a bolt. A set screw, as shown, stops 
the handles //// at the right point. The handles 
may be of any length desired. — By Steel Square. 

Bolt Clipper. 

I inclose sketches illustrating a bolt clipper which 
may be made by any good blacksmith in four hours' 
time. Fig. i^ represents the tool complete, while 



BLACKSMITHING. 



the Other sketches represent details of construction. 
For the parts shown in Fig. 21 take a piece of spring 
steel ly^ inches wide by J^ inch thick and flatten out 




Fig. 19 — The Bolt Clipper complete. 

about 2^ inches wide at B. That will leave the 
part 3-16 of an inch thick. Punch holes as shown at 




Fig. 20 — Portion of Bolt Clipper. Elevation, Sectional View and 
Details of " D. H. E.'s " Bolt Clipper. 

A and B. Shape a small piece of steel as indicated 
by C in the same cut and place it on the end. Take 




Fig. 21 — Another part of Bolt Clipper. 



a light heat and weld it fast in that position. That 
will keep the end from pushing out. The square 
hole marked O in Fig. 21 is made large enough to 



64 



BLACKSMITHING. 



pass it over the nuts. The part shown in Fig. 20 is 
made of cast-steel and sharpened in the parts shaded 
as shown at H. The construction of the guard is 
shown in Fiir. 22. It is to be bent at the dotted 
lines, giving it the shape indicated by Fig. 23. It is 
then ready to clinch into the holes provided for it as 
shown in A and B of Fig. 21. The bolt uniting the 
two parts should be made of cast-steel 5-16 inch in 
diameter. The entire length of the tool should be 
15 inches. Made of these dimensions leverage 



J~L 




Fig. 22 — Shows how the Guard 
is Constructed. 




Fig. 23 — Shows Shape of 
Guard. 



enough will be afforded to clip bolts 3-16 to 5-16 
inches in diameter. — By D. H. E. 



A New Bolt Clipper. 

I enclose a sketch, Fig. 24, of a bolt clipper which 
is a handy tool and unlike any I have seen in other 
shops. The handles are of wood, and are about two 
feet long. The band or clamp prevents the twisting 
of the knives to one side when they close on the bolt. 
The plate shown in the sketch is duplicated on the 
other side. This arrancremcnt enables me to eet a 
leverage near the hinge or heel. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



65 



This tool can be used for bolts ranging in size from 
the smallest up to half inch. — By R. D. C, 

A Handy Bolt Cutter. 

I enclose sketches of a bolt cutter of my own make, 
which I will describe as well as I can. I think the 
tool may be of some benefit to some of my brother 




Fig. 24— A New Bolt Clipper as made by " R. D. C." 

smiths. It saves labor and is easily made. To make 
it I first take a bar of iron 7-8-inch square and cut 
off two pieces, each two feet long, for the levers A 




Fig. 25 — A Handy Bolt Cutter. The Bow. 

and B shown in the engravings, Figs. 25 and 26. In 
making the lever A^ I first square up the end where 
the hole, G^ is made. I then punch, six inches below 



66 



liLACKSxMITIIING. 



the hole G, another hole, /, to receive the bow C. 
The lever B is of the same length as A and has on 
the upper end at 6^ a coupling made the same as a 
joint on a buggy top brace. This coupling connects 
the lever B and bow C, The hole in the coupling 



G D D 




Fig. 26 — The Bolt Cutter as completed. 



and the hole shown at //, Fig. 27, are one inch apart 
from center to center. I next take a piece of steel 
^-inch square to make the bow. I first stave it up 
on one end to put the ear on it for the coupling G, 
then I put an eye in it to fit in the long holes shown 



BLACKSMITHING. 



67 



at /, and bend It so that the Tvnife D will fit closely 
against it when the two are put together. To foro-e 
the knife I take a piece of ^-inchgood cast-steel. I 
dress up the knives, harden them and then rivet one 




Fig. 27— Side View of Bolt Clipper made by " C. N. S." 



on the lever A and the other on the bow C, using 
two rivets in each one. The plates E, are made of 
I 7-8-inch by 3-8-inch iron, the holes in them beino- 




Fig. 28 -Showing the Piece F, used in the Bolt Clipper. 

four inches apart from center to center. The holes 
are y^ inch. The plates are placed as indicated by 
the lines in Fig. 26, and are held in position by steel 
rivets inserted in the holes H and /. The set screw 



68 



BLACKSMITHING. 



/^ is used to prevent the edges of the knives from 
striking together. The jaws must be open about 
three-quarters of an inch when the levers are straight. 
In this tool the cutting is done, not by pressing the 
levers together but by pulling them apart. 

I can cut with it all bolts from ^-inch down. — By 
L. G. 

Making a Bolt Clipper. 

I have made a bolt clipper which, in my opinion, 
is equal to any of the patent ones in the market. In 



Fig. 29 — Showing the Piece F Bent. 

Fig. 27 of the illustration, A denotes the long handle 
made of ^-square iron; B is the other piece, C is the 



Fig. 30 — Showing one of the Pieces used for the Hinge. 

double hinge, D D are the knives, E the purchase 
lever, F the piece that holds the purchase lever in 



Fig. 31— Showing how the Knives are Fastened to the Handle. 

place. In Fig. 28 the piece F is shown ready to 
bend, and in Fig. 29 it is shown bent. (7 is a key 



BLACKSMITHING. 69 

for fastening the piece F on the piece E 6x the main 
lever. It Is also used to keep the knives apart. H, 
in Fig. 27, is the spring used to open the jaws. The 
piece shown in Fig. 30 Is one of those that form the 
hinge, one goes on one side and one on the other, 
being fastened together with two rivets. Fig. 31 
shows how the knives are put on the handle. — By C. 
N. S. 

Tool for Cutting Rivets. 

I send you sketches of a pair of cut-nippers, Figs. 
32 and 33. They are adapted to cutting bolts and 
rivets up to ^-Inch in diameter. The jaws do not 




Fig. 32—" O. F. F.'s •' Rivet Cutter. 



project, so as to cut long wire, and whatever is cut 
must be inserted end-ways. When finished the tool 
is 10 inches long, and weighs 14 ounces. [The per- 



'O 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



tions represented in the engravings are full size, the 
handles being broken at the points indicated, to save 
space. The plate E is represented partially broken 
away in Fig. 33, so as to show clearly the method of 
construction.— Ei).] A is the fixed jaw or leg, 
having a pivoted jaw, B. A lever, D, is piv- 
oted to B, at C. Two plates, E, on each side of the 




Fig. 33— Another View of " O. F. F.'s " Rivet Cutter. 

jaws, are pivoted to A, at F, and to D^ at G; D is 
moved outwards, a rivet, at R, put in, and D is closed, 
cutting off the rivet, the operation being obvious. 
The plate, E, must be 1-3 of an inch thick, and riv- 
eted to A and D, on both sides, with at least 3-16 
rivets, as the strain is very great. If well made and 
carefitlly used, one of these cut-nippers will last a 



blacksmitHing. 



71 



long time. I have used one seven years, and it is in 
good condition yet, though I have averaged to iron 
fifty sleighs a year^ and they have done all the cut- 
ting, besides all my other v^ork, where they could 
be used. — By O. F. F. 

Rivet Cutter. 

I have a tool which will cut a rivet or bolt one-half 
inch in diameter very easily. It is very handy and 
useful in cutting points of bolts, in ironing wagons, 




Fig-. 34 — Showing Rivet Cutter Closed. 

buggies, etc. In my sketch. Fig. 34 represents the 
tool nearly closed. The part marked A is one shear 
or knife, which is a piece of steel (best) welded on 




Fig. 35 — Sectional View of Rivet Cutter showing Edges of Shears. 

the iron frame or body, and beveled from the oppo- 
site side so as to make an edge. The part marked 
B, is the main or sliding shear, made of the best 
steel. It also has a beveled edge the same as A» 



72 



BLACKSMITHING. 



C is a plate, and there is one on each side so as to 
hold the shear or knife, B, to its place. These plates 
can be fastened on either with rivets or small bolts 
as desired. D is the main frame or body of the tool, 
which is iron. Fig. 35 is a top view with a portion 
of the outer jaw removed, showing the points or edges 
of shears or knives, A and B, and the method of 
securing the plates referred to.- -By Cyrus G. 
Little. 



Tools for Making Rivets — Pipe Tongs. 

I send you a sketch, Fig. 36, of a handy rivet-mak- 
ing tool. The hole at A is just deep enough to make 




Fig. 36— Rivet-making Tool. 

the required length of rivet; the wire is cut ofT long 
enough to make the body and head, and is riveted 



BLACKSMITHING. ']'>y 

with a button rivet set; the lower part of the tool is 
bowed as you see and naturally holds the two jaws a 
little open. The vise jaws grip at C C, the two flanges, 
Dy resting on top of the vise jaws: as the vise is 




Fig. 37 Best form of Pipe Tongs. 

opened or shut the jaws of the tool open and release 
or close and grip the rivet. 

I also send you a sketch, Fig. 2)7 j of> I think, the 
best form of pipe tongs. The jaw^ points to jaw A, 
Moving^ in the direction of arm causes pipe C to be 
very firmly gripped. — By " Southern Blacksmith." 

A Tool for Making Rivets. 

The accompanying illustration, Fig. 38, represents 
a tool which is very convenient for making the rivets 
that are used to fasten the brass on the plow share 
and the bar, and also the frog when wooden stock 
plows are made. The tool will make rivets of two 
lengths, namely, i^-inch and i-inch. I used 3-8- 
inch round Norway iron for rivets because it is the 
only kind fit for that purpose. Rivets made of com- 
mon iron will always break if they are put in hot. 



74 BLACKSMITHINC. 

I make the tool as I would an ordinary heading 
tool, but am careful to get the ends A B, high 
enough where the holes are. The end ^ is for the 
I ^-inch rivets and the other end is for the i-inch 
rivets; A is made two inches high, and B is an inch 
and a half high. The ends are laid with steel on the 
tops, and I then take a 3-8-inch bit the size of the 
round iron used and bore holes at C and D, so that 



c 



B 



E F 

^'§- 3^ — A Tool designed by " L. G." for making Rivets. 

they lack but half an inch more to come through the 
piece, and then bore through the rest of the way with 
a 3- 1 6-inch bit at E and F, This is to facilitate the 
driving out of the rivets after they are made. The 
iron should be cut long enough to allow for a head. 
After making the rivets I drive them out with a small 
punch. If a little oil is used in the tool they will 
come out easier. — By L. G. 

Making a Bolt Clipper. 

I have a bolt clipper that will cut easily bolts of 
half an inch or smaller ones. It is made as follows : 

I first make a pattern of tin. For the jaws, which 
are marked A A in the accompanying illustration, 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



75 



Fig. 39, I used a piece of bar iron, ;^-S x 3 inches, cut- 
ting off two pieces about 10 inches long, then form- 
ing them according to the pattern and welding on a 
piece of steel for the cutting edge. The hole B is 
made 5-8-inch in diameter. The holes C C and Z? 
are ^-inch in diameter. The distance from the hole 
i? to 6" C is 6 inches, from CCtoZ?itisi^ inches, 
and from C to C is i^ inches. The handles G G 
are made of iron 5-8x1^ inches and are joined at D. 




Fig. 39— Bolt Clipper made by " W. R." 



The jaws, A A, are joined to the handles at C C. 
The other parts of -the handles, G G, are of wood, 
about three feet long, with ferrules on the ends. The 
total length of the handles, measuring from D, is 
31^ feet. The washer, //, is 2 inches in diameter, 
and is foreed to a thin edo^e around the outside. I 
put one on each side. The rivets should be of 
steel.— ^jV W. R. 



76 BLACKSMITIIING. 

How to Make a Bolt and Rivet Cutter. 

I have made a bolt and rivet cutter that works 
spendidly, and will tell how it is made. 

Take a piece of square iron, twenty-four inches 
lont^, for the bottom piece. In the end weld a piece 
of tool steel for a cutter This should be 3-4 inch 
so as to have solid steel cutters. In the bottom 
piece, seven inches from the end, punch a hole 
with a flat punch and round down from above 
the hole. 

The other jaw is made from the same kind of iron 




Fig. 41— Showing C. V. Marsh's Bolt and Rivet Cutter complete. 

with steel welded on the end for cutter. The upper 
handle can be made from round or square iron 
whichever is handiest. The spring can be made from 
any piece of old spring, and is put on with two small 
rivets. The end piece can be made from 3-4-inch 
stake iron. It is in one piece and bent so as to fit 
around the lower jaw. Fig. 41 shows the cutter com- 
plete and will give a good idea as to how it is made. 
I think that some of the boys will find this cutter 



BLACKSMITHING. 'J'J 

very useful. It is powerful and will cut easily small 
bolts and pieces of iron. It is also, as will be seen 
by the engraving, simple in construction and not 
difficult for any smith to make. — By C. V. Marsh. 



CHAPTER III. 
CHISELS. 

The Chisel and Chisel-Shaped Tools. 

The subject upon which I have been invited by 
the Franklin Institute to speak this evening is that 
of the chisel and chisel-shaped tools, and the object 
of my remarks will be similar to that I had in view 
in a former lecture, namely, to demonstrate, as far 
as it is possible in a talk of this kind, that in skillful 
handicraft the very foundation lies in a knowledge 
that may be obtained altogether independent of any 
actual use of the tool. 

The first day I entered the machine-shop I was 
given a hammer and a cold chisel wherewith to chip 
the ends of some bolts level. I had looked forward 
to my entry into the shop with a great deal of pleas- 
ure, for my heart and mind were set upon becoming 
a skillful workman. The idea of being able to cut 
and shape metal to my will, and form it into the ma- 
chines that were to save mankind the exercise of 
mere brute force, had such a charm for me that it 
was the height of my ambition. An apprentice of 
some two years' standing was to show me how to 
use the chisel, which he did as follows : '' You hold 



BLACK3MITHING. 



79 



the chisel so, and the hammer so, and then you chip 
this way," and he cut off the end' of the first bolt 
very nicely and quickly. I tried to follow him, but 
after the first blow, which by chance struck the chisel- 
head sideways, I became aware that my hand was 





Fig. 42— Showing a Flat Chisel. 

dangerously near to the chisel-head. I realized this 
more thoroughly at the second blow, for the ham- 
mer fell upon my thumb, to the great amusement of 
my neighbors. After that I could not be persuaded 
to hold the chisel near the head unless I held the 



8o 



BLACKSMITHING. 



hammer pretty close to its head, so that I could take 
better aim. For two days I struggled on, left to 
myself to find out by bungling along how to grind 
the chisel, and all the other points that could have 
been taught me in an hour. What was worse, I 




Fig. 43 — Showing Another Shape of Flat Chisel. Side and End Views. 

became disheartened, for instead of finding all plain 
sailing with nothing to do but to master the princi- 
ples of tool using, feeling every day that I had made 
some progress, I found myself floundering in the 
dark, not understanding anything of what I was 
doing, asking others to grind the chisels because I 



BLACKSMITHING. 



8i 



had no idea how to do it properly myself, and at the 
end of the first month I should, but for the author- 
ity of my parents, have tried some other business. 
The machinist's trade seemed to be nothing but one- 
half main strength, one-quarter stupidity, and the 




Fig. 44 — Broad Chisels. 

Other quarter hand skill that every man had to work 
out for himself, for nobody seemed able to help me. 
Many a boy meets just this same experience, and 
crettins: discouraged drifts about a month at this 
trade, two months at that, until he finds himself at 



82 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



last without any trade at all, and very often In his 
old aee without the means of earninor an honest 
livelihood. Examples of this kind are, I believe, 
within the personal knowledge of most of us, and 
the fault is often attributed to the absence of an 
apprenticeship system, but if we go deeper I am per- 
suaded that it will appear that it is more in the want 
of intelligent preparation for the workshop. 

Parental authority, as I have said, saved me from 
this misfortune, but since then I have, in the course 




Fig. 45 — Correctly and Incorrectly Ground Chisels. 

of years, mastered the principle involved in the use 
of this cold chisel, and I can now draw you two pic- 
tures, which I hope will not be uninteresting. Sup- 
pose when I went to the shop doors to ask for em- 
ployment the superintendent had said to me: 

" Want to be a machinist, do you ? Well, why do 
you think you are fitted for it; do 3^ou know anything 
about it, or about tools ? On what foundation have 
)ou built the opinion that you will ever make a good 
machinist ?'' 



BLACKSMITHING. 



83 



What could I then have answered except that I 
thought so, hoped so, and meant to try my best. But 
suppose I was again a boy, and again found myself 
at the shop door, having previously taken enough 
interest in mechanics to have remembered the prin- 
ciples I. had already been taught, I could take a 
pencil and a piece of paper and answer him thus : 

** I can only say, sir, that I have prepared myself 
somewhat for a trade ;" here, for example, in Figs. 42 




Fig. 46 — Chisels for Brass and Steel. 

and 43, are shown the shapes in which flat chisels are 
made. The difference between the two is, that the 
cutting edge should be parallel with the flats on the 
chisel, and as Fig. 42 has the widest flat, it is easier 
to tell with it when the cutting edge and the flat are 
parallel, therefore the broad flat is the best guide in 
holding the chisel level with the surface to be 
chipped. Either of these chisels is of a proper width 
for wrought iron or steel because chisels used on 



84 BLACKSMITHING. 

these metals take all the power to drive that can be 
given with a hammer of the usual proportions for 
heavy chipping, which is, weight of hammer, i 3-4 
lbs.; length of hammer handle, 13 inches ; the han- 
dle to be held at its end and swinging back about 
vertically over the shoulder. 

If I use so narrow a chisel on cast iron or brass, 
and give full force hammer blows, it will break out 
the metal instead of cutting it, and the break may 




Fig. 47— Chisel for Fine Cuts. 

come below the depth I want to chip and leave ugly 
cavities. So for these metals the chisel must be 
made broader, as in Fig. 44, so that the force 
of the blow will be spread over a greater length of 
chisel edore, and the edoe will not move forward so 
much at each blow, therefore it will not break the 
metal out. 

Another advantacre is that the broader the chisel 
the easier it is to hold its edge fair with the work 



BLACKSMITHING. 



85 



surface and make smooth chipping. The chisel- 
point I must make as thin as possible, the thickness 
shown in my sketches being suitable for new chisels. 




Fig. 48— Improperly Ground Chisel. 

In grinding the two facets to form the chisel, I must 
be careful to avoid grinding them rounded as shown 
at A in the magnified chisel ends in Fig. 45, the 




Fig. 49 -Magnified View of the Chisel Shown in Fig. 48. 

proper way being to grind them flat as at B, I must 
make the angle of these two facets as acute as I can, 
because the chisel will then cut easier. 



86 



BLACKSMITHING. 



The angle at C, In Fig. 45, Is about right for brass, 
and that at D is about right for steel. The differ- 
ence is that with hard metal the more acute angle 
dulls too quickly. 

Considering the length of the cutting It may for 
heavy chipping be made straight as In Fig. 42, 
or curved as in Fig. 44, which is the best, because 
the corners are relieved of duty and are therefore 




Fig. 50— Showing a Common Error in Grinding. 



less liable to break. The advantage of the curve Is 
greatest in fine chipping because, as you see In Fig. 
47, a thin chip can be taken without cutting with 
the corners, and these corners are exposed to the 
eye In keeping the chisel-edge level with the work 
surface. 

In any case I must not grind It hollow In its length, 
as in Fig. 48, or as shown exaggerated in Fig. 49, 



bLACKSMlTHlNG. 



87 



because in that case the corners will dig In and cause 
the chisel to be beyond my control, and besides that, 
there will be a force that, acting on the wedge prin- 
ciple and In the direction of the arrows, will operate 
to spread the corners and break them off. 

I must not erind the facets wider on one side than 
on the other of the chisel, as in Fig. 50, because in 




Fig. 51 — Showing- Another Error in Grinding. 

that case the fiat of the chisel will form no guide to 
let me know when the cutting edge is level with tht? 
work surface. 

Nor must I grind it out of square with the chisel 
body, as in Fig. 51, because in that case the chisel 
will be apt to jump sldewa}s at each hammer blow. 

I can remove a quantity of metal quicker if I use 
the cape chisel in Fig. 52 to first cut out grooves, as 



88 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



at Ay B and C, in Wg. 53, spacing these grooves a 
liltlc; narrower apart than the wickh of the Ihit chis- 
sel, and thus reUeving its corners. I must shape the 
end of this cape chisel as at A and 7>\ and not as at 
C\ as in J^'ig. 53, because I want to be able to move 
It sideways to guide it in a straight line, and the 




Fig. 52— Pr()[)er and Improper Shapes for Cape Chisels. 



parallel part at C will hiterfere with this, so that if I 
start the chisel a very little out of line it will go still 
farther out of line, and I cannot move it sideways to 
correct this. 

The round-nosed chisel, Fig. 53, I must not make 
straight on its convex edge; it may be straight from 



BLACKSMITHING. 



89 



H to G, but from G to the point it must be beveled 
so that by altering- the height of the chisel head I can 
alter the depth of th(' cut. 

The cow-mouthed chisel, Fig. 55, must be beveled 
in the same way, so that when I use it to cut out a 
round corner, as at L in Fig. 53, I can move the 




I^j^- 53— Showing the Application of the Cape Chisel to Facilitate the 

W^ork of the Flat Chisel. 



head to the right or to the left, and thus govern the 
depth of its cut. 

The oil groove chisel in Fig. 56, I must make nar- 
rower at A than it is across the curve, as it will wedge 
in the groove it cuts. 

The diamond-point chisel in Figs. 57 and 58 I 



90 BLACKSMlTHING. 

must shape to suit the work, because If It Is not to be 
used to cut out the corners of very deep holes, I can 
bevel it at M, and thus bring its point X central to 
the body of the steel as shown by the dotted line Q, 
rendering the corner X less liable to break, which is 
the great trouble with this chisel. But as the bevel 
at M necessitates the chisel being leaned over as at 
K, in Fig. 53, it could, in deep holes, not be kept to 
its cut; so I must omit the bevel at M, and make that 
edge straight as at 7? J? in Fig. 58. 

The side chisel obeys just the same rule, so I may 
give it bevel at W, in Fig. 59, for shallow holes and 
lean it over as at Z in Fig. 53 or make the side V W 
straight along its whole length, for deep ones; but in 
all chisels for slots or mortises it is desirable to have, 
if the circumstances will permit, some bevel on the 
side that meets the work, so that the depth of the 
cut can be regulated by moving the chisel head. 

In all these chisels, the chip on the work steadies 
the cutting end, and it is clear that the nearer I hold 
the chisel at its head the steadier I can hold it and 
the less the liability to hit my fingers, while the 
chipped surface will be smoother. 

Now, what I have said here is what I might have 
learned before I applied at the shop, and is it not 
almost a certainty that if there was a vacancy I 
should have obtained the position ? Nay, more, I 
venture to say that I should have received the ap- 
pointment before I had made half my explanation, 



BLACKSMITHING. ^1 

unless, Indeed, the superintendent heard me through 
out of mere curiosity, for It certainly would, as 
things now are, be a curiosity for a boy to have any 
Idea of the principle Involved In using tools before 
he had them actually placed In his hands — unless, 
Indeed, It be the surgeon's tools. 

There Is an old saying that an ounce of practice Is 
worth a pound of theory, but this sounds to me very 
much like saying that we should do a thing first and 
find out how It ought to be done afterwards. Yet I 
should not care to patronize a young dentist or a 
young surgeon who was pursuing his profession In 
this way. 

I may, however, Illustrate to you some of the 
points I have explained by adding to the pound of 
theory I have advanced an ounce of practice. Here, 
for example, I have to take a chip off a piece of 
wrought-iron, and, as It Is a heavy chip, I stand well 
away from the vise, as an old hand would do. Instead 
of close to it, as would be natural In an unlnstructed 
beginner. In the one case you will observe that the 
body Is lithe and supple, having a slight motion In 
unison with the hammer, while In the other It is con- 
strained, and not only feels but looics awkward. If, 
now, I wish to take a light chip, I must stand nearer 
to the work, so that I can watch the chisel's action 
and keep its depth of cut level. In both cases I push 
the chisel forward to Its cut and hold It as steadily as 
I can. 



92 



BLACKSMITHING, 



It is a mistake to move it at each blowin this way, 
as many do, because it cannot be so accurately main- 
tained at the proper weight. 

Here I take a deep cut on a piece of brass, and 
the full force blows have broken it out, for the 
reasons I explained just now. Next we will take a 




Fig. 54— The Round Nose Chisel. 



finishing cut across, leaving the surface smooth and 
more level for the filing that is to follow. Light and 
quick blows are always necessary for the finishing 
cuts, whatever the kind of metal may be. 

Here are two cape chisels, one formed as at ^and 
the other as at C, in Fig. 52, and a cut being taken 
with each, you will see that I have been able to direct 



BLACKSMITHING. 



93 



the path sideways of B, but that I could not do so 
with C, 

With the side chisel alone I can illustrate the 
points made with reference to the chisel shown in 
Figs. 54, 55, 57, 58 and 59, namely, that there must 
be a bevel made at the end in order to enable the 
depth of cut to be adjusted and governed, for If I 
happened to get the straight chisel too deeply Into 
Its cut I cannot alter it, and unless I begin a new cut 
It will get imbedded deeper and will finally break. 
But with this side chisel, Fig. 59, that is slightly 
beveled, I can regulate the depth of cut, making it 
less if it gets too deep, or deeper if it gets too shallow. 

The chisel that is driven by hammer blows may be 
said to be to some extent a connecting link between 
the hammer and the cutting tool, the main difference 
being that the chisel moves to the work while the 
work generally moves to the cutting tool. In many 
stone-dressing tools the chisel and hammer are com- 
bined, inasmuch as that the end of the hammer is 
chisel-shaped, an example of this kind of tool be- 
ing given in the pick that flour millers use to dress 
their grinding stones. On the other hand we may 
show the connection between the chisel and the cut- 
ting tool by the fact that the wood-worker uses the 
chisel by driving it with a mallet, and also by using it 
for a cutting tool for work driven in the lathe. In- 
deed, we may take one of these carpenters chisels 
and fasten it to the revolving shaft of awood-planing 



94 



BLACKSMITHING. 



machine, and It becomes a planing knife ; or we may 
put it into a carpenter's hand phme, and by pushing 
it to the work it becomes a plane blade. In each 
case it is simply a wedge whose end is made more 
or less acute so as to make it as sharp as possible, 
while still retaining strength enough to sever the 
material it is to operate upon. 

In whatever forrr we may apply this wedge, there 




Fig. 55 — Showing how the Cow Moulh Chisel is Beveled. 



are certain well-defined mechanical principles that 
govern its use. Thus when we employ it as a hand 
tool its direction of motion under hammer blows is 
governed by the inclination of that of its faces which 
meets the strongest side of the work, while it is the 
weakest side of the material that moves the most to 



BLACKSMITHING. 



95 



admit the wedge and therefore becomes the chip, 
cutting, or shaving. In Fig. 60, for example, we 
have the carpenter's chisel operating at A and B to 
cut out a recess or mortise, and it is seen that so 
lone as the face of the chisel that is next to the work 




Fig. 56 — The, Oil Groove Chisel. 



is placed level with the straight surface of the work 
the depth of cut will be equal, or, in other words, 
the line of motion of the chisel is that of the chisel 
face that lies against the work. At C and D is a 
chisel with, in the one instance, the straight, and in 



96 



BLACKSMITHING. 



the Other, the beveled face toward the work surface. 
In both cases the cut would gradually deepen be- 
cause the lower surface of the chisel is not parallel 
to the face of the work. 

If now we consider the extreme cutting edge of 



1 I I 



'M 



Fig. 57 — The Diamond Point Chisel for Shallow Work. 



chisel or wedge-shaped tools it will readily occur that 
but for the metal behind this fine edge the shaving 
or cutting would come off in a straight ribbon and 



BLACKSMITHING. 



97 



that the bend or curl that the cutting assumes in- 
creases with the angle of the face of the wedge that 
meets the cutting, shaving or chip. 

I may, for example, take a piece of lead and with 
a pen-knife held as at A, Fig. 6i, cut off a curl bent 




Fig. 58 — The Diamond Point Chisel for Deep Work. 



to a large curve, but if I hold the same knife as at B 
it will cause the shaving to curl up more. Now it 
has taken some power to effect this extra bending or 
curling, and it is therefore desirable to avoid it as 



98 



BLACKSMITHING. 



far as possible. For the purpose of distinction we 
may call that face of the chisel which meets the 
shaving the top face, and that which lies next to the 
main body of the work the bottom face. Now at 
whatever angle these two faces of the chisel may be 
to the other and in whatever way we present the 



Fig. 59— The Side Chisel. 



chisel to the work, the strength of the cutting edge 
depends upon the angle of the bottom face to the 
line of motion of the chisel, and this is a principle 
that applies to all tools embodying the wedge prin- 
ciple, whether they are moved by a machine or by 
hand. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



99 



Thus, in Fig. 62, we have placed the bottom face 
at an angle of 80 degrees to the line of tool motion^ 
which is denoted by the arrow, and Ave at once per- 
ceive its weakness. If the angle of the top face to 




Fig. 60- Showing- that the depth of the Cut depends upon the position 
and direction of the lower surface of the Chisel. 



the line of tool motion is determined upon, we may 
therefore obtain the strongest cutting edge in a 




Fig. 61— Showing that the Effect of the Cutting Edge depends upon 
the Angle of the Bottom Face to the Chisel's line of motion. 

hand-moved tool by causing the bottom angle to lie 
flat upon the work surface. 

But in tools driven by power, and therefore accu- 
rately guided in their line of motion, it is preferable 



lOO 



BLACKSMITH INc;. 



to let the bottom face clear the work surface, save at 
the extreme cutting- edoe. The front face of the 
wedi^e or tool is that which mainly determines its 
keenness, as may be seen from Fig. 63, in which we 




F\^. 62— Showing the Bottom Face at an Angle of 80 degrees to the 

Line of Motion. 



have the wedge or tool differently placed with rela- 
tion to the work, that in position A obviously being 
the keenest and least liable to break from the strain 




Fig. 63 — Showing two Positions of the Wedge. 



of the cutting process. — Fi-o))i a lecture delivered by 
Joshua Rose before the Fi-ankliii Listitute, PJiila- 
delpJiia. 



liLAC'KSMITIIIMG. 



lOF 



Chipping and Cold Chisels. 

Permit m(* to make some remarks on my experi- 
ence with chippini^ chisels. 

" There's not much of interest in the subject," you 
may say, " for everyl)ody knows all about cold 
chisels. ' 

Not exactly, for there are a g"ood many chisels 
that are not properly shaped. Fi^^^s. 64 and 65 rep- 
resent common shapes of cape chisels. That in Fig-. 
64 is faulty because it is a parallel or nearly so from 




A A 
Fig. 64 — Chipping and Cold Chisels, A Chisel Faulty at the Point. 

A to B and a straight taper from B to C \ its being 
parallel from A to B causes it to stick and jam in 
the groove it cuts, or even to wedge when the cor- 
ners of the cutting edge get a little dulled; while if 
they fihould break (and these corners sometimes do 
break) there is the whole of the flat place to grind, 
if the side is ground at all, as it is desirable when 
the break extends up the chisel and not across its 
cutting edge. 



102 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



"The Sticking don't amount to much nor does the 
grindinor," is the answer. 

It amounts to some unnecessary sticking that 
makes it very difficult to alter the angle of the chisel 
if it is going too deep or not deep enough, and so it 
is an impediment to smooth, even chipping. The 
grinding amounts to some unnecessary grinding, and 
furthermore, the chisel thus shaped is more difficult 
to forge, very little more difficult I grant, but more 
difficult all the same. 

Haven't you seen men tug at a chisel to get it out 




Fig. 65— A Better Shape for Cold Chisels. 



of a key way 1 Haven't you seen them hit it side- 
ways with a hammer to loosen it in the sides of the 
cut ? I have. 

Fig. 64 would do very well for a keyway in a bore, 
but for outside work it is also faulty because it is too 
weak across E; hence Fig. 65 is, for outside work, 
the best shape, being stiffer and therefore less 
springy. 



BLACK SMITHING. I O3 

All these I think are plain and well grounded 
points, «ind so to settle a discussion on them I was 
blindfolded and given three cape chisels, two like 
Fig. 65, and one like Fig. 64, and in a dozen trials 
at chipping told each time I was given the one like 
Fig. 64. I claim that the shape makes a tangible 
difference. I could tell by the chipping, for it was a 
piece of machine steel I was chipping, and the cor- 
ners of Fig. 64 soon began to round and the chisel 
to wedge. 

As to the flat chisel, haven't you often seen it hol- 
low along the cutting edge, and isn't that more likely 
to break and more liable to stick than one a little 
rounding ? 

There is one more point that I will mention, and 
that is a habit many have of pulling the flat chisel 
back from the cut after every blow. I have seen 
some good workmen do it, and I am not disposed to 
find particular fault with it, but I think it is unnec- 
essary, at least I see no end that it accomplishes. 
I like the chisel to lie steadily under a little hand 
pressure against the cut so that I can feel that the 
lower face of the chisel rests fairly and evenly upon 
the bottom face (as it must do to chip straight), and 
having got it at the proper angle to the work, I like 
to carry the cut clear across without moving it once. 
It is a kind of machine chipping that reminds one 
of Rowell's running, on, on, on; it goes without a 
falter. Now a word about using the hammer, not 



I04 BLACKSMITIIING. 

that there is much to discuss about it, but simply to 
round off the subject. The old style was a i 3-4 lb. 
hammer with handle 15 inches long, and this is all 
right for the man who does chipping enough to keep 
his muscles well hardened and can swing his ham- 
mer ten hours a day without feeling it next day, but 
it is better to get broke in with a i 1-4 lb. hammer. 

I had at one time a i 3-4 lb. hammer and a i 1-4 
(or a little heavier than that) hammer, and was well 
broke in at chipping, having had about a year at get- 
ting out work with hammer, chisel and file; the i 
3-4 hammer broke and I took to the smaller one; I 
found that I could not do as much work with it and 
it began to tell on my hands, because I could use 
the lighter hammer quicker, and in doing this I natu- 
rally gripped it tighter and it told on me, indeed it 
would sometimes be a minute before I could straight- 
en my fingers out after releasing the hammer ; of 
course the handle was a little less in diameter, and 
that had something to do with it, but not all, 
because my left hand, gripping the chisel, which I 
always did firmly, never tired, nor did the fingers 
stiffen, though the diameter of the chisel was smaller 
than the small hammer handle. 

The palm of my hand would, with the small ham- 
mer, get red and feel nervous and twitchy, while it 
would not do so with the heavy one. 

Did you ever notice what different styles there are 
in using a chipping hammer, how much more the 



BLACKSMITHING. I05 

wrist and elbow are used by some than by others? 
Yes, and there are graceful and ungraceful chippers. 
I like to see (I am talking of heavy hand chipping 
of course) the chipper stand, for the heavy cuts, not 
too close to the vise, use the wrist very little, the 
elbow not much, the shoulder a good deal, and to let 
the body swing a little with the hammer, the ham- 
mer head going as far back as about vertically over 
the shoulder, and that is the time when every blow 
tells. 

For the last or smoothing cut I like to see the 
hammer handle held a quarter way up from the end, 
the chipper to stand pretty close to his work, using 
the wrist a little and the elbow, but not the shoulder 
joint ; and just in proportion as the chisels are 
smaller, the wrist used more and the elbow less. 

" What is a good day's chipping for a man thor- 
oughly broken in ?" 

Well, I should say on a chipping strip of cast 
iron 3-4 inch wide, taking a cut, say, a full 1-16 inch 
deep, 600 running inches is a good day's work, to 
keep it up day after day. — By Hammer and Tongs. 

How to Make Cold Chisels. 

What I have to say about cold chisels is from 
purely practical experience. In the-first place we do 
not get the best quality of cast steel, and the kind we 
do get is very inferior to what we used to have in 



io6 



BLACKSMITIIING, 



years gone by (say "befo' de wa' "). We now use 
what is called the Black Diamond, and this is not 




Fig. 66— Showing a Faulty Method of Making a Chisel. 

often very suitable for heavy cutting such as steel 
rails. When a chisel comes from the hammer of the 




Fig. G'] — Showing how the Hammer Marks are Ground out. 

smith, as a general rule, it is taken to the grindstone 
and given a bevel and then it is called ready for use. 



BLACKSMITIIING. lO"/ 



But It Is not. If a chisel Is made, tempered and 
ground properly it will stand until the head wears 
down to the eyes. In Fig. 66 of the accompanying 
illustrations, the reader can readily see that the 
chisel is not true with the hammer marks on each 
side, and that it also has hammer marks on the edges 
when it is made and tempered. It may seem as if 
this would not make a great difference, but never- 



Fig. 68— Showing how the Chisel is Beveled. 

theless it does. When I make a chisel and temper 
It (I have to find the proper temper to put in the 
steel I am working, as steel differs in grade), I take 
it to the grinding stone and grind out the hammer 
marks on each side half way up to the eye, and on 
edges as seen in Fig. 67, so that It will be in the cen- 
ter of the chisel represented by dotted line in Fig. 
67. By grinding all the hammer marks out on each 
side the tool becomes less liable to jar or chatter, 
and it is jarring or chattering which generally causes 



I08 BLACKSMITHING. 

the chisel to break. I orrlncl It roundlnof from the 
eye or half way from the eye to the point on both 
sides, after which I give it the bevel as in Fig. 68. 
I round it on the sides as an axe is rounded and 
also on the edge. 

Cast steel should be worked with charcoal, which 
adds to instead of diminishing the most important 
element in steel, which is carbon, while stone coal, 
through its sulphur, takes away the carbon. The 
continual use of stone for smith coal reduces the 
steel and makes ii almost worthless, for tools. — By W. 

Forging Cold Chisels. 

Many blacksmiths find a difficulty in drawing out 
a cold chisel so that it will cut steel, but if they forge 
their chisels as I do, the trouble will disappear. 
Thus, let Fig. 69 represent the chisel to be dravvn 



Fig. 69 — Chisel to be Fig. 70 — Shows Shape After Forging. 
Drawn out. 

out to the dotted lines. Heat the chisel about as far 
up as shown in the cut to a blood red, and first forge 
it down to the dotted lines in Fig. 70 ; then flatten 
out the sides, but do not hammer the steel after itis 
cooled below a red heat. Strike quick and not too 
heavy blows, especially on the edgQ. — By O. P. 



CHAPTER IV. 
DRILLS AND DRILLING. 

Making a Drill Press. 

The drill press shown in the accompanying en- 
graving, if properly made, will drill a perfectly 




Fig. 71 — A Drill Press as Designed by "R. E." 

straio^ht hole. It will drill from the smallest to the 
largest hole without any danger of breaking the bit. 



no BLACKSMITHING. 

The lever ^, In Fig. 71, is 1% x }4 inch and five 

feet long. The part C is 3 x 6 inches. The chain 

A can be of the length most convenient for the 
operator. — By R. E. 

Drilling in the Blacksmith Shop. 

In my shop there is not much drilling done, and 
what there is done is composed principally of small 
holes and countersinking for holes J^ inch and less 
in diameter. For this purpose I use an ordinary 
hand drill, but I have found, as I expect other 
people have found also, that for larger holes than 
those above named the breast drill becomes quite a 
nuisance. It is almost impossible to hold it steady, 
and it drives entirely too hard. It takes a great deal 
of pushing to get the drill to feed, no matter how 
thin the drill point is made. So, as I said above, I 
discarded the breast drill for all holes over ^ inch 
in diameter. For holes from ^ inch up to about ^ 
inch I used the clamp-shaped rest shown in Fig. 72. 
I made the back of A very much broader than is 
generally done in such cases, so as to prevent it from 
bending, a great fault in articles of this kind, as 
commonly made. I made the work table, T, about 6 
inches square and gave the feed screw, S, a much 
finer pitch than is usual. I employ 12 threads per 
inch, by means of which I can feed as lightly as I 
like, I use all square shank drills, and let the end 



BLACKSMITHING. 



Ill 



of the shank pass through the socket so that I can 
knock the drill out easily. This answers very well 
for holes that are not too deep. A man can stand 
the work in such cases, For deep holes and those 
from j^ inch in diameter upwards I have a small 
machine, shown in Fig. ']'i^, which I had made to 
order. The reader will see that it has no self-feed 






^b; 


1 1 




Fig. 72 — An Ordinary Hand Drill Improved. 

on it. Inasmuch as the operator has got to stand 
by the machine and mind the wheel it is just as easy, 
it seems to me, to put on the feed, and in doing so 
he can increase or diminish it according to the feel 
of the drill. In this case, as in the other already 
mentioned, I made the feed screw, S, with a pitch of 
12 threads to the inch, and bushed the feed wheel, F, 
so that I could put in a new nut whenever the 



112 



BLACKSMITHING. 



threads wore. I made the cap, C, screw on so that I 
could easily take it off and put in a washer for tak- 
ing up any lost motion in the feed screw collar. I 
bought cut gear, G, for I think every drill should 
have such gear, because they run so much easier. 
The drilling takes enough hard work to drive with- 
out losing any power through cast gear wheels. I 
made the driving wheel, W, larger than usual, and 
fastened the handle, 77, in the slot so that I could move 




Fig. 73 — A Bench Drill. 



it further away or closer to the hub, according to cir- 
cumstances. Every one of the alterations from the 
ordinary form here described, I am convinced, are 
substantial improvements. 

In the course of time work came along that I 
could not get under the machine last mentioned, and 
other work came in that required holes too big to be 
bored in a hand machine at all. For them I had to 



BLACKSMITHING. II3 

resort to the ratchet brace. The rig for the ratchet 
brace I found, as I presume every other one has 
found who does an odd job, to be a complete nuis- 
ance ; still, I had no choice. One day, I put a new 
hand, a repairer I had hired, on a ratchet-brace job, 
and left him at it, going away from my business for 
two days' time to see about some other work. When 
I got back I found he had rigged up what he called 
the blacksmith's drill-frame, and which he said was 
common enough in Scotland, but of which I only 
knew of one other in this country. I did not like 
the look of the thing. It appeared like a cross be- 
tween a gallows frame and some sort of a weighing 
machine. However, I did not say a word to my 
man, because I felt a degree of uncertainty about 
the matter. It might be all right, and so I waited 
developments. I asked him : 

*' What, will it drill any better than can be drilled 
by the method we have formerly used?" He made 
reply : 

''It will drill anything you can get between the 
posts, and from i^-inch hole up to a 2-inch hole or 
more. 

He proved this assertion by drilling first a ^^j^-inch 
hole, and then a i^-inch hole, that being the largest 
drill at hand. For the large hole he used the ratchet 
brace, using the frame as a feeding fulcrum. Fig. 
74, of my sketches, represents the device in question. 
It has two posts, A, and two posts, B, fast to the 



114 



BLACKSMITHING. 



floor and ceiling. The fulcrum lever Is pivoted at 
C\ and has a feeding weight at the opposite end. 
The lifting lever is pivoted at Z>, and has, at Fy a 
link connected to the end of the fulcrum lever. At 
E is an iron plate for the drill brace to rest against, 
and 6^ is a handle to operate the lifting lever. The 
work is rested in a movable, or It may be a fixed 



CHlingr 



Weight 



^^^ 




'WW/^ 



Fig. 74 — The Device Invented by " Blacksmith's " Man. 

bench. The one In question, however, is made mov- 
able. By pulling the handle, G, the fulcrum lever 
is raised, and the drill brace or ratchet brace may be 
put in position on the work. When G is released 
the weight pulls down the fulcrum lever to feed the 
drill brace to its cut. If the weight is too heavy the 
pressure may be relieved by pulling upon G, or by 



BLACKSMITHING. 



115 



moving the work further from the posts A, the press- 
ure becomes less, because the leverage of the weight 
is less. This device has one fault, which Is that as 
the fulcrum lever descends In the arc of a circle, as 
Indicated by U, it may, in deep holes, become neces- 
sary to move the upper end of the brace to drill the 
hole straight In the work. The fulcrum lever may 




Fig. 75 — Simple Drill Press, as Made by V/ill Tod. 

be raised or lowered for different heights of work by 
shifting the pin C higher, there being holes at A, at 
Intervals, for that purpose. This device may be a 
very old one. It is certainly good for the purpose, 
however, and very desirable for use where there is 
no power drill-machine. I would not be without it 
for many times its cost. — By Blacksmith, 



ii6 



BLACKSMITHING. 



A Simple Drill Press. 

I send, as shown in the accompanying engraving, 
Fig. 75, a rig which is simple and also avoids the 
" arc " direction which has been complained of. A 
common iron bench screw is inserted in a 4 x 4 scant- 
ling, mortised, over the bench, into upright posts. 
The cut explains itself. The screw (two feet long) 
may be had for $1.00, or the smith may make one 




Fig. 76— A Small Drill, as Made by " C W. D." 

himself, having a hand wheel. This arrangement 
takes no room. — By Will Tod. 

Making a Small Drill. 

A very serviceable drill may be made by welding 
the socket of a shoemaker's awl into a 3-8-inch rod, 
5 inches long, with a countersink at the upper end 
forming a cup to hold lubricating oil and in which 



BLACKSMITHING. llj 

the conical center of the feed screw can work. In 
the engraving, Fig. 76, A represents the screw and 
B the spindle. Bore a hole through a block of wood 
to receive the center of the spindle and put the spin- 
dle in a two-centered lathe. Move it with a '' dog" 
and a turn pulley like a common thread spool. The 
drill is run with a bow C, holding all in a vise. Tem- 
pered awl blades make good drill bits. — By C. W. D. 

To Drill a Chilled Mold-Board. 

If you want to drill a hole or file a notch in a stove 
plate or ploughshare, or other piece of cast-iron, lay 
it on the fire level until it is cherry red, and then 
with tongs lay a bit of brimstone on the spot you 
wish to soften, the piece of brimstone being a trifle 
less in diameter than the hole you need. Leave the 
iron on the fire until cold enough to handle and it 
will yield to your tools. — By D. T. 

Holding Long Bars in Drilling. 

A good method of holding long bars of iron, such 
as sled shoes, so that the holes can be drilled in them 
easily by one person, is as follows : Take a strong 
^-inch cord or rope and fasten it to the ceiling 
about five, six or seven feet from the drilling ma- 
chine, then fasten a pound nut on the end of the rope 
and let it reach nearly to the floor. When you wish 
to drill iron, wrap the rope around the iron once at 



.Il8 BLACKSMITMING. 

the height you want and you will find that you will 
have a very handy tool. You can drive a nail so as 
to hang it up out of the way when not in use. — By 
A. W. B. 

Drilling Glass. 

Stick a piece of stiff clay or putty on the part 
where you wish to make the hole. Make a hole in 
the putty the size you want the hole, reaching to 
the glass, of course. Into this hole pour a little 
molten lead, when, unless it is very thick glass, the 
piece will immediately drop out. 

Straightening Shafts or Screws — A Remedy for Dull and 

Squeaking Drills. 

Every machinist who has ever attempted to 
straighten a polished shaft or screw knows the diffi- 
culty of marking the point of untruth when the work 
is revolved on the centers of a lathe. By procuring 
a piece of copper pointed on one end and of a shape 
suitable to fill the tool post, and allowing it to touch 
the work as it turns, a red mark will be left, even on 
a brightly polished surface, and this will furnish the 
desired guide for correction, and at the same time if 
a short piece of octagon steel about i^ inches 
diameter is allowed to partly lie beside the tool post 
in its T slot, the straightening bar used may be ful- 
crumed on this with the copper tool still remaining 



BLACKSMITHING. 11 9 

in the tool post, thus expediting the work. If a piece 
of sheet copper is screwed or riveted to the end of the 
bar used for straightening, no injury will result to 
the work from its contact therewith. 

Blacksmiths and machinists who use twist drills, 
have probably been bothered when drilling moder- 
ately hard steel by the squeaking and slow cutting of 
the drill caused by the rapid dulling of its edges. 
To remedy this, first sharpen the drill, then procure 
a small piece of tool steel, say 4 inches long, half an 
inch wide, and 3-16 to ^ of an inch thick, and after 
rounding and tempering one end, place the offend- 
ing drill in a vise, between a pair of copper clamps, 
gripping it so that the cutting points will be well 
supported. Then by holding the tempered point of 
the tool I have described, against the lips of the drill 
and striking lightly with a hammer on the opposite 
end, the lips will be upset so that a good clearance 
will be secured, and the results will be satisfactory if 
the operation has been carefully done. 

This upsetting will, of course, slightly enlarge the 
diameter of the drill, but in most cases this will do 
no harm. — By J. F. Ross. 

A Chinese Drill. 

Some time ago I read an account of the high 
quality of Chinese steel. I think there must be some 
mistake about it. During five years' residence in 
China, I often examined and remarked the inferior 



120 



BLACK SMITH INC. 



quality of their drills, gravers, etc., and I think their 
best steel is all imported from Ennland, as I know their 
finer iron is. They have an ingenious arrangement 
for drilling, which is remarkably rapid. As shown 




Fig- 77— A Chinese Drill as Described by Will Tod. 

in the accompanying engraving, V'lg. yy, the drill is 
fixed in an upright bamboo, which is weighted by a 
stone (not unlike an old grindstone), at top. It is 
attached by strings from the top to a handpiece 
which slides up and down the lower end of the rod. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



121 



When the rod is revolved and the hand piece held 
still, the strings wind on the rod and raise the hand 
piece, and the machine is ** wound up." To start 
drilling, press the hand piece down the rod till the 




Fig. 78— A Drill and Countersink, as Made by C. H. Preble. 

strings become unwound by the rod revolving; 
lighten the pressure and the momentum will wind 
the machine up the reverse way, when pressure is 
again resumed. — By Will Tod. 

A Drill and Countersink Combined. 

I enclose sketch, Fig. 78, of a tool made by my- 
self last Summer, and which may be of some in- 



122 BLACKSMITHING. 

terest to carriage-smiths and blacksmiths who do 
tiring. 

It is a drill and countersink combined, for use on 
buggy tires. It can also be applied to drilling and 
countersinking sleigh and sled shoes. It makes quite 
a saving in time by removing the necessity for using 
a drill and a countersink separately. 

It is made so that when the drill part begins to go 
through the tire, the countersink begins to cut, and 
when the work Is countersunk to the proper depth It 
is stopped by a shoulder on the tool. Any black- 
smith can make this tool in a very short time, and 
after using one he will never go back to the old 
method. — By C. H. Preble. 

A Handy Drill. 

I have a drill made by myself that is simple, 
strong, and very effective. Any blacksmith can make 
it in the followlnor manner : 

Take a two-inch rod of iron long enough to reach 
from the bench to the shop loft, then take two bars 
of iron, i^^ by 5-8 Inches, and turn good solid eyes 

Fig. 79 — Showing the Bars with Eyes Turned in them. 

on them, as shown In Fig. 79 of the illustration. The 
pieces should be about three feet long. Then shape 
them as shown in Fig. 80, the top and bottom pieces 



BLACKSMITHINC. 



123 



being twisted to fit the shaft. Then take a drill brace 
made as shown in Fig. 81. The top part of brace 




Fig. 80— The Bars Bent. 

works as a ratchet. The four eyes on the shaft have 
set screws to hold them in position. The pieces 



ROOF TIMBER 




Fig. 81— The Drill Completed. 

shown in Figs. 80 and 81 can, by means of the set 
screws, be easily adjusted to the work to be drilled, 



1^4 



blacksmithinc. 



and will take In larger work than most drills. The 
drill stock works the same as a ratchet drill. The 
bottom side of the top cap should be slotted so as to 
hold the chill stock in place. The thread on the 
drill can be made four Inches lonor or lonofer as de- 
sired. The threads should be cut very coarse so 
that they will not wear out too soon. Fig. 8i shows 
the drill completed. 

This drill can be used to oood advantao^e on steam 

o o 



H 



Fig. 82— A Home-Made Drill, showing How the Shank H is Formed 

and the End .'/ Upset. 

boilers and other machinery that cannot be brought 
into the shop. — J^y J. \V. J. 

A Home-Made Drill. 

I make a drill brace as follows : 

I take a round rod of iron, size i^ inches, shape it 
as shown in Fig. 82 of the accompanying illustration, 
upset it at A, and make it about 1)2 inches square 



BLACKSMITHING. 



125 



there. I then punch a hole in this end about the 
same as if for an old-fashioned bit brace, to receive 
the drill shank. I then take a flat piece of iron 
about a foot long, and draw the ends shown in Fig. 
83 at D, B. I next take a large nut or a plug of 




Fig. 83 — Showing the Flat Piece Ready for Welding. 

iron i^inch square, and weld it on the flat 
piece at C, making it 2 inches thick. I then puneh 
or drill a hole large enough to take in the shank //, 
shown in Fig. 82, and cut a very coarse thread to 
prevent it from wearing loose. I next weld the ends 



Jsa 



Fig. 84 — Showing the Piece of Scantling Used. 

B, B, together, and the brace is then ready to be put 
together as shown in Fig. 85. I next take a piece of 
scantling 4x4, cut a mortise in one end as shown in 
Fig. 84, and bore a half-inch hole at Ry and fasten 



126 BLACKSMITHING. 

this scantling- over a joist directly over the back of 




Fig. 85— Showing the Joist, Vise Bench, and Drill. 

the vise bench. I put a steel plate on the lower 



BLACKSMITHING. 



127 



end of the piece shown in Fig. 84, and " dot " it well 
to keep the drill from slipping off. In Fig. 85 the 
brace is shown completed, L being the joist and S 
the vise bench. This is a handy and cheap way to 
make a drill, and answers well in a small shop where 
room is scarce. This make of drill works on the 
same principle as the ratchet drill, and can be adapted 




Fig. 86— A Stone Drill as Made by W. O. West. 

to heavy or light drilling. As the drill cuts itself 
loose it can be tightened by turning the ratchet D. 
It is the best home-made drill I know of. — By], W. J. 



Making and Tempering Stone Drills. 

My method of sharpening and tempering stone 
drills may be of interest to some fellow craftsmen. 

First, in making a drill do not draw down the steel, 
but cut off each side and then upset back to widen 



128 



BLACKSMITHING. 



the bit, making" strong or light to suit the hardness 
or softness of the stone to be drilled. Next place 
the drill In the vise and trim off as shown in the 
accompanying cut, Fig. 86, then lay It down until 
cool, and then file and temper. Draw the temper 
twice to a deep blue and you will then have a tool 
that will drill without cornerlnor a hole, and one 




Fig. 87— Form of Drill for Smooth, Straight, or Round Hole. 

that will also stand much better than an ordinary 
drill— ^^ W. O. West. 

Some Hints About Drills. 

To drill a smooth, straight and round hole with a 
flat drill let the diameter, as at C, In Fig. 87, be 



BLACKSMITHING. 



129 



enough larger than the shank A to allow the cuttings 
to pass freely and parallel, to steady the drill in the 
hole. Let the bevel at E and F be, for iron and 




Fig. 88— Form of Drill to Cut Freely in Wrought Iron or Steel. 

Steel, just enough to clear well, and for crass, give 
more bevel, as at Bi. To make a drill cut freely on 




Fig. 89— Showing center of rotation at H. 

wrought iron or steel, give it a lip by setting the cut- 
ting-edges forward as in Fig. 88. 



I^O 



BLACKSMITHING. 



To make a drill drive easily, first be sure that it 
runs true and that it is ground true. Suppose, for 
example that the center of rotation of the drill shown 
in Fig. 89 is at Hy and the cutting edges be ground 




Fig. 90— ShoAvs Drill Ground too Much on One Side. 

as shown. Then E\^°A\ cut a certain-sized hole, and 
/^ will simply act to enlarge it, so that the rate of 
feed can only be sufficient for one cutting-edge in- 
stead of for two. If the drill be ground to one side, 




Fig. 91 — Showing another Improper Way of Grinding. 

as in Fig. 90 — H being the center of rotation — all 
the cutting will be done by the edge F, and the rate 
of feed must again be only one-half what it could be 
if both edores acted as cuttinof-edores. 

Another secret in making a drill cut easily is to 



BLACKSMITHING. 



131 



keep the point tki7i, so that It shall not cut a flat place 
at the bottom of the cone, as shown in Fig. 91 at Oy 
which increases the force necessary to feed the drill. 

Drills for brass work should have the cutting edges 
form a more acute angle one to the other than drills 
for the fibrous metals^ such as steel or iron. ' 

Oil should be supplied to a drill when used on 
wrought iron, steel, or copper, but the drill should 
run dry on cast iron, brass and the soft metals, such 



r 



(0) 



Fig. 92— Showing how to Mark a Piece of Work to be Drilled. 



as babbitt metal, tin, lead, etc.; but very hard steel 
is easier cut dry than with oil. 

For all ordinary work, a drill should be tempered 
to a bright purple, but for extra hard metal a brown 
temper may be used. 

To drdl a hole very true to location, mark it as in 
Fig. 92, the outer circle being of the diameter of the 
hole to be drilled, and the smaller one simply serving 
as a guide to show if the drill is started true. Both 
circles should be defined by small center-punch 
marks, as shown, as the oil and cuttings would ob- 
scure a simple line. 



132 



lU.ACKSMTTIITNO. 

Drifts and Driftings. 



Th(^ drift is a useful tool, once extensively em- 
ployc;cl, which has been pushed aside by improved 
machinery. Still, as many a country shop is unsup- 
plied with a slotting machine, the drift may often be 
used with advantage yet. Indeed no other hand tool 
will cut with precision a small anq-ular hole where 
there is no thoroughfare ; and even where the tools 




Fig. 93 — ShoAiiii;- the Simplest Form of Drift. 

can pass through, if the metal be thick or there be a 
number of ludes to cut, the drift will be more 
economical than the lile. 

The simplest form of a drift is a steel plug, as 
shown in iMg. 93 of the accompanying illustrations. 
This is used t(^ dress out a scpiare hole, especially 
one with no thoroughfare. It is driven into the hole, 



BT.ACKSMITIIING. 



^32, 



the edge A cutting; a chip as it descends. The under- 
side slopes back slig-htly from the cutting face to al. 
low room for chips when the hole does not go 
through the metal. 

To take a second cut, a thin strip of brass or steel, 
such as shown in Fig, 94, is inserted behind the drift 
before driving it again, and further cuts are taken by 



Fig. 94— Showing the Strip used in making a Second Cut. 



backing up the drift with similar strips until the hole 
is cut to gauge. 

The commonest form of drift is made of a tapered 
ijar of steel, around which teeth — about eight 10 the 
inch — are cut with a file, as in Fig. 95. It will readily 
be seen how a round hole is squared, or a square 
hole enlarged by driving such a drift through it. 
The teeth will cut better if filed somewhat diagonal- 
ly. The tool being very hard, must be fairly struck 



134 



BLACKSMTTHING. 



or it will be liable to break at one of the notches. A 
round hole can be converted into a hexagonal one in 
a similar way by means of a six-sided drift, more 
quickly and much more exactly than by filino-. 

To square a round hole with no thorouohfare, in a 




^^S- 95 — Showing the Commonest Form of Drift. 



box wrench for instance, it is first made flat on the 
bottom, say with a D bit. Then a half round plug 
is inserted as backing, and a flat drift driven in and 
gradually fed to the work by strips of brass till half 
of the hole is cut square. The half round plug is 



BLACKSMITHING. 



T '» - 

^ JO 



then withdrawn, the drift faced the other way, and 
the other half of the hole cut, suitable backing being 
inserted. A half round drift, cuttinor on its flat face, 




Fig. 96 — Showing a Drift used for making Round Holes Oval. 

could be used for this job, instead of the fiat one, but 
would not be so easily backed up and directed. 

Half round drifts, cutting on the round face as 
shown in Fig. 96, are used to make round holes oval, 
in hammer eyes for instance. They are backed up 
first by a half round plug and then fed to the work 
by slips of brass or steel. In this instance, how- 
ever, the half round plug must have a shoulder, as 
shown in Fig. 97, to keep it from slipping through 
the hole. 



136 BLACKSMITHING. 

These are but the simplest styles of drifting, but 




Fig. 97— Showing bow the Shoulder is made on the Plug. 

they show that the drift can be used to cut almost 
any shape of hole. — By Will Tod. 



CHAPTER V. 

FULLERING AND SWAGING. 

The Principles of Fullering. 

I should like to say a few words about swaging, 
which will, I think, be of interest to the younger 
members of our trade if not to the older ones. 
Suppose, then, that we take a bar of iron, such as B, 




Fig. 98 — A Bar in which a Square Recess is being Forged. 

in Fig. 98, and forge on it a square recess. The bar 
will get a certain amount longer, and, in the neigh- 
borhood of the recess, a certain amount wider also. 
Just what the amount would be under any given 
condition is a matter concerning which I am not aware, 



138 



BLACK SMI THING. 



but It would, doubtless, vary with the shape and size 
of the bir, and perhaps also with its degree of tem- 
perature. I should suppose that the greater the heat 
the more the metal would spread sideways and the 
less the bar would elongate, but I may be wrong in 
this view. 

This is a matter of more importance to black- 
smiths than at first sight appears. Suppose, for ex- 
ample, a blacksmith is given a pair of dies to make 




Fig- 99 — A Round Fuller Substitute. 

some drop forgings with ; in selecting the best size 
and shape of bar, the question at once arises as to 
how much the bar will spread in each direction un- 
der the action of the blows. 

To take a specific case, suppose we require to 
forge in a die some blocks t)f iron that must 
measure {^ inch by ItV inch, and be, say, four inches 
long, there being enough taper on them to permit 



BLACKSMITHING. 



139 



their easy extraction from the die ; now, what would 
be the best siz t of iron to use, and how far should it 
be placed in the die? Would it be better to cut off 
the pieces, lay them in the die, and let the blows 
spread them out, or to take a bar, place it a certain 
distance over the die and depend upon the elonga- 
tion of the bar to fill the die ? 

One could, of course, make an experiment for any 




Fig. TOO — Spreading a Bar. 

given job, but it seems to me there could be got 
from experiments a rule upon the spreading of iron 
under compressive blows that would be of great use- 
fulness. 

" If, instead of a square fuller, we take a round one, 
as in Fig 99, A and C representing top and bottom 
fullers, and B the bar, the effect is to increase the 



140 



BLACKSMITHING. 



elongation of the bar and diminish its spread across 
the width. 

If we require to spread the bar as much as possible 
and increase its width, we turn the fuller around, as 




Fig. loi —The end of a Bar to be Forged as shown by the Dotted Lines. 

In Fig. loo, causing the spreading to occur, as denot- 
ed by the dotted lines. 

Suppose It were required to forge the end of the 
bar in Fig. loi to the shape denoted by the dotted 
lines, the first operation would be to fuller, as at 
A^ Fig. I02. Then the fuller would be applied as 




Fig. 1 02 — The First Operation. 

in F g. 103, being slanted, as shown, to drive the 
metal outwards, a.s denoted by the arrows. 

Thus the fuller is shown to require considerable 
judgment in its use, and to be one of the most useful 
blacksmith tools. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



141 



If we were to follow the plan of the scientific men, 
we could very easily claim that a flatter is simply a 
fuller, on the ground (as the scientists state with ref- 
erence to gear wheels and racks) that if we suppose 




Fig. 103 — The Fuller Applied to drive the Metal Outward. 

the radius of a fuller curve to be infinite in length, 
then a portion of its circumference may be represent- 
ed by a straight line ; hence, a flatter becomes a 
fuller whose radius is of infinite length. — By R. J. 



About Swages. 

The old method of forging a swage was to take a 
piece of the best quality band iron and roll it up to 
make the body of the swage, and then weld a face of 
shear or double shear steel on it, the finished tool ap- 
pearing as in Fig. 103^. This forms a good and 



142 



BLACKSMITHING. 



durable tool, possessing two advantages : First, that 
a chisel-rod can be used as a handle, instead of re- 
quiring to have an eye punched and a trimmed or 
turned handle ; and secondly, that when the head is 




Fig. 102)4 — Old Method of Forging a Swage. 

worn down a new one can readily be welded on, and 
the tool need not be thrown aw^ay. 

In modern practice, however, solid steel swages 
are employed which, on account of the cheapness of 




Fig. 104 — Semi-circular Top Swage for Round Work. 

Steel and the cheapness of production when 4iiade as 
at present in quantities, obviates to a great extent 
the necessity for a blacksmith to forge his own tools. 
A swage for round w^ork may be semicircular, as in 
Fig. 104, which represents a top swage only, or V- 



BLACKSMITHING. 



H3 



shaped, as in Fig. 105, which shows a top and bot- 
tom swage. There is, however, this difference be- 
tween the two. That shown in Fig. 104 makes a 
neater and more truly circularjob, but is more apt to 
draw the work hollow than that shown in Fig. 105. 
The reason of this Is that the impact of Fig. 104 is 
on two sides only, tending to crush the work to an 
oval instead of closing it to the center, while that 
shown in Fig. 105 compresses the work on four 




Fig. 105— V-shaped Top and Botlom Swage. 

sides, and prevents its bulging sideways. When 
Iron Is compressed on both sides, and liberty is given 
It to move sideways, the fibers are apt to work one 
past the other, and a sort of disintegrating process 
sets in, so that. If the forging be carried to excess on 
these two sides, without being carried on on the two 
sides at right angles, the iron will finally split. But 
if the compression Is carried on on four equidistant 
sides, the forging may be carried to an indefinite ex- 



Ill 



lU ATKSMl rillNl^ 



lent without separating; [\\c filuMs. cm- ''hammorlno; 
hollow." as it is tcMincHl. lov these reasons, the 
form shown in Imi;. 104 is used to linish work, and, 
indec\l. is used e\elusi\cly on sn\all work; while on 
lari;ework. under sieani-hamnuM's, the form shown in 
r^io-. 10s is used to rou^h out the work, and that in 
V\o', lo.L to finish with. It is obvious that heavier 
blows may be used without injury to the iron, while 




1- li;. 100 -Shows a Spring Swage for Light Work. 



the forn^ shown in Imi^-. 105 is tised, the shape of the 
workiui^' face only bein^;. oi eourse, referred to. 

C^n very li^^ht work, when the hand-hammer only 
is used, a sprino- swai^e. sueh as shown in Fig-. 106, is 
often used beeause the top swa^e guides itself, and 
the operator, holding the work in one hand and the 
hand hammer in the other, is enabled to use the 
swage without the aid of a helper. 



j5i,Af;KSMri iii\(;. 



M5 



Another method of ^(iiiflin^^ a small ',\n;v^(\ is shown 
ill \'\'^. 107, in which the bottom sw;i^r! is shown to 
contain a recess to ^uide the to[> f;nf: hy inclosing 
its oiitsi(h; surfaces. 

Tlu: liojf'.s of circular or round swage,s are always 
made of Iar^^';er f;ircle than the dianu-.tf.r of tlie work, 
so that thf hole between the two swage.s, when 
phiced together, will be an oval. This is nec^:ssary to 




Fij.(. 107— Refess(fl Sa'sj^c. 



prevent the swage hollow from wedging upon the 
work, and it becomes obvious that in cr)nsr:rpir:nce 01 
this form ihc liollow of the swage must not ^mv^dop 
half the flianu-.ter. In practice it usually envelops 
one-third, or, in large work, still less. 

In collar-swages, such asshown in I'igs. 106 and 107, 
the recess for the collar is (to prevent the work from 



146 



BLACKSMITHING. 



wedging in the recess) made narrower at the bottom 
than at the top, so that the Avork may easily be 
revolved by hand and easily removed from the 



swaoe. 



Swage-blocks, such as shown in Fig. 108, should 
have the holes passing through them, as at A, a true 
circle or square, as the case may be, and parallel for 
the full length of the hole. But the recesses, B, 
should be oval, as in the case of hand-swages. Swao-e- 




Fig. 108— Swage Block for General Work. 

slots, such as shown at C, should, for parallel work, 
be parallel in their lengths, but taper in their depths, 
being narrowest at the bottoms of the recesses or 
slots. 

Swages for steam-hammers should have flanges on 
two opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 109, in which 7/ 
is an anvil block, S a block swage, and S a hand- 
swage, and this flange should pass below and envelop 
the angle block so as to prevent the swage from 



BLACKSMITHING. 



147 



moving the anvil-block when the work Is pushed 
through the swage ; and it follows that the flanges 
should be on the sides of the swage where the swage- 
hole emerges, or in other words, the length of the 
flanges should be at a right angle to the working 
curved face of the swage. The handle, H, of the 
hand-swage should be below the level of the striking 
face, S^ so that the hammer-face shall, in no case 




Fig. 109 — Form of Swage for Steam Hammers. 

Strike It, which would cause it to vibrate and sting, 
or perhaps injure the operator's hands. 

If the position of the steam hammer or other 
causes renders it necessary, on account of the length 
of the work, to have the length of the swage-block 
run at a right angle to the hammer (as in the case of 
long work done under a trip-hammer, where the 
parts of the machine under the helm would be in the 
way of the work), then the flange must fit the sides 
instead of the front of the anvil-block, as shown in 
Fig. 1 10, For small work intended to be neatly fin- 



148 



BLACKSMITHING. 



ished under a trip-hammer, hinged stamps, finishing 
tools or dies are often used. Suppose, for example, 
it be required to forge pieces such as shown in Fig. 
in; then, after being roughed out, they may be 
neatly and cleanly finished to size and shape in a pair 
of hinged dies, such as shown in Fig. 112. The 




Fig. no — Another Form of Swage for Steam Hammers. 

curves in the dies, however, require to be of larger 
radius than those of the work, so that they may not 
jam the work and prevent it being revolved in the 
dies. But the depth of the recess in the dies is made 
correct for the diameter of the dies, so that when the 
faces of the two halves of the die meet the work will 




Fig. in — Specimen of Forging. 

be of correct diameter. To free the dies of the oxi- 
dized scale falling from the forging, a supply of 
water is necessary, otherwise the scale would drive 
into the work-surface, making it both rough and hard 
to cut. Sometimes, instead of the pivoted joint, P^ 



BLACKSMITHING. 



149 



Fig. 112, the ends are composed of a spring similar 
to that shown in Fig. 106, which enables the fiat 




Fig. 112 — Hinged Dies for Forging Fig. iii. 

faces of the dies to approach each other more nearly 
parallel one to the other. 



Rules for Swaging. 

To make a good jump weld it requires good judg- 
ment on the part of the smith in getting the two 
pieces fullered properly before welding. Many smiths 




Fig. 113 — Correct method of Fullering or Swaging. 

do not think or use good judgment when making a 
weld of this kind. To make a jump weld for a 



50 



BLACKSMITH I NO. 



shank, carriaore-step, or for any other purpose, pro- 
ceed as in Fig. 113. Fuller at 6", upset the shank 




Fig. 1 14- Incorrect Mtihod. 



A, as at the projectinor parts, X, X. The shank. A, 
at X, Xy is the important point to take notice of when 




Fij;. 115 — Correct Way of !• inishing. 

making- the weld. Always let the shank, A, extend 
over the fullered part, C, as at A', A'. This will give 




Fig. 116 — Incorrect Way of Finishing. 

)Oii a good cliance in using the fuller when welding 
so as to get the scarfs, X, X, solid to the part L\ 



BLACKSMITHING. 



151 



Never fuller the part C, or forge the part A, as is 
shown in Fig. 114. If you do, you will not get a 
solid weld. To make a neat as well as a strong job, 
finish as is shown ^X. P, 1\ in Fig. 115. Never finish 
as is shown at H, H, in Fig. 116. A weld made as at 
Hy H, in Fig. 1 1 6, is not as strong as if made as shown 
in Fig. 115. — By Now and Then. 

A Stand for a Swage-Block. 

A blacksmith of my acquaintance once abused the 
swage-block because he stubbed his toes against it. 




Fig. 1 17 -Stand for a Swage-Block. 

I want to tell him and others how to save their toes 
and the swage-block, too. 

Let him make a stand for it with four lees, like Fies. 
117 and 118, shown herewith. Fig. 117 shows the 



152 



BLACKSMITHING. 



block, e,f, lying flat, resting on the ledge shown by 
the dotted line, a, b. The dotted lines, ^, //, show how 
the block would stand when upright in the stirrup. 




Fig. ii8 — Showing the Side of the Block when Upright. 

c,d. Fig. ii8 shows the side of the block when 
upright. — By Will Tod. 



CHAPTER VI. 

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS. 

The Principles on which Edge Tools Operate. 

All cutting and piercing edge-tools operate on the 
principle of the wedge. A brad-awl furnishes an ex- 
ample which all can readily understand. The cut- 
ting edge of the awl severs the fibres of wood as the 
instrument enters, and the particles are compressed 
into a smaller compass, in the same manner as when 
a piece of wood is separated by a wedge. A chisel 
is a wedge in one sense ; and an ax, drawing knife, 
or jack-knife is also a wedge. When a keen-edged 
razor is made to clip a hair or to remove a man's 
beard, it operates on the principle of the wedge. 

Every intelligent mechanic understands that when 
a wedge is dressed out smoothly, it may be driven in 
with much less force than if its surface were left 
jagged and rough. The same idea holds good with 
respect to edge-tools. If the cutting edge be ground 
and whet to as fine an edge as may be practicable 
with a fine-gritted whet-stone, and if the surface 



1 54 BLACKSMlTHING. 

back of the cutting edge be ground smooth and true, 
and polished neatly, so that one can discern the 
color of his eyes by means of the polished surface, 
the tool will enter whatever is to be cut by the ap- 
plication of much less force than if the surfaces were 
left as rough as they usually are when the tool leaves 
the grindstone. All edge-tools, such as axes, chisels 
and planes, that are operated with a (fr^/^///;/^ in stead 
of a drazving slvok^, should be polished neatly clear 
to the cutting edge, to facilitate their entrance into 
the substance to be cut. 



Hints on the Care of Tools. 

The following hints on the best means of keeping 
tools in good condition cannot fail to be useful : 

Wooden Parts.— Fhe wooden parts of tools, such 
as the stocks of planes and handles of chisels, are 
often made to have a nice appearance by French 
polishing; but this adds nothing to their durabihty. 
A much better plan is to let them soak in linseed oil 
for a week, and rub them with a cloth for a few min- 
utes every day for a week or two. This produces a 
beautiful surface, and at the same time exerts a solid- 
ifying and preservative action on the wood. 

Iron Parts.— 7??/^-/ preventives.— T\i^ following 
receipts are recommended for preventing rust on 
iron and steel surfaces : 

I. Caoutchouc oil is said to have proved efficient 



BLACKSMITHlNC. 1 55 

in preventing rust, and to have been adopted by the 
German army. It only requires to be spread with 
a piece of flannel in a very thin layer over the me- 
tallic surface, and allowed to dry up. Such a coating 
will afford security against all atmospheric influ- 
ences, and will not show any cracks under the mi- 
croscope after a year's standing. To remove it, the 
article has simply to be treated with caoutchouc oil 
again, and washed after 12 to 24 hours. 

2. A solution of india rubber in benzine has been 
used for years as a coating for steel, iron, and lead, 
and has been found a simple means of keeping them 
from oxidizing. It can be easily applied with a 
brush, and is as easily rubbed off. It should be made 
about the consistency of cream. 

3. All steel articles can be perfectly preserved 
from rust by putting a lump of freshly-b)urnt lime in 
the drawer or case in which they are kept. If the 
things are to be moved (as a gun in its case, for in- 
stance), put the lime in a muslin bag. This is es- 
pecially valuable for specimens of iron when frac- 
tured, for in a moderately dry place the lime will 
not want any renewing for many years, as it is cap- 
able of absorbing a large quantity of moisture. Ar- 
ticles in use should be placed in a box nearly filled 
with thoroughly pulverized slaked lime. Before 
using them, rub well with a woolen cloth. 

4. The following mixture forms an excellent 
brown coating for protecting iron and steel from 



156 BLACKSMITHING. 

rust : Dissolve 2 parts crystallized iron chloride, 2 
antimony chloride, and i tannin, in water, and apply 
with sponge or rag, and let dry. Then another coat 
of the paint is applied, and again another, if neces- 
sary, until the color becomes as dark as desired. 
When dry it is washed with water, allowed to dry 
again, and the surface polished with boiled linseed 
oil. The antimony chloride must be as nearly neu- 
tral as possible. 

5. To keep tools from rusting, take ^ oz. cam- 
phor, dissolve in i lb. melted lard ; take off the scum 
and mix in as much fine black lead (graphite) as will 
give it an iron color. Clean the tools, and smear 
with the mixture. After 24 hours, rub clean with a 
soft linen cloth. The tools will keep clean for months 
under ordinary circumstances. 

6. Put I quart fresh slaked lime, ^ lb. washing 
soda, y^ lb. soft soap in a bucket; add sufficient 
water to cover the articles ; put in the tools as soon 
as possible after use, and wipe them up next morn- 
ing, or let them remain until wanted. 

7. Soft soap, with half its weight of pearlash ; 
one ounce of mixture in about i gallon boiling water. 
This is in every-day use in most engineers' shops in 
the drip-cans used for turning long articles bright in 
wrought iron and steel. The work, though constantly 
moist, does not rust, and bright nuts are immersed 
in it for days till wanted, and retain their polish. 



BLACKSMITIIING. 

Names of Tools and their Pronunciation. 



15 



Pane, Pene, Peen, which is correct ? Pane is the 
correct word for the small end of a hammer head, 
Pene or Peen being corruptions. As soon as you 
leave without any necessity or reason the correct 
word Pane, you en:er a discussion as to whether Pene 




Fig. 119 — Shows various Styles of Wrenches. 

or Peen shall be substituted, with some advocates 
and custom in favoi' of both. If custom is to decide 
the matter, Pane will have it all its own way, because, 
of the English speaking people of the earth, there 
are, say, thirty-six millions in England, four millions 



158 r.LACKSINIITHING. 

ill the West Indies, six or seven millions in Austra- 
lia with the Cape of Good Hope and other English 
colonies to count in, who aU use the oriorlnal and 
correct word Pane, besides Canada and the United 
States ; the former having a majority in favor of 
Pane from their population being largely English, 
Scotch, etc., and the latter having some of its great- 
est authorities, Pane-ites and therefore uncorrupted. 
Don't let us, as Tennyson says, 

" Think the rustic cackle of your burg, 
The murmur of the world." 

Peen may be used in all parts of the country where 
'' Old Fogy" has been, but it is not used where I 
have been and that is in Great Britain, the West In- 
dies, South American English-speaking countries, as 
Guiana, and not in some parts of the United States ; 
or rather by some mechanics in the United States. 

The fact is these corruptions are creeping in and 
creating dire confusion in many cases. For exam- 
ple : A lathe-work carrier or driver has now got to 
be called a "door" in the United States. This is 
wrong, because if the word carrici^ is used as in 
other English-speaking countries, the thing is dis- 
tinct, there being no other tool or appliance to a 
lathe that is called a carrier. But if the word used 
is " dotr " we do not know whether it means a dosf to 
drive work between the centers of the lathe, or a 
dog to hold the work to a face-plate, the latter be- 
ing the original and proper '' dog." 



BLACKSMITHING. 1 59 

Again, in all other English-speaking countries, a 
key that fits on the top and bottom is a ''key," 
while one that fits on the sides Is a " feather." Now 
a good many In the United States are calling the 
latter a *' key," hence, with the abandonment of the 
word '' feather," a man finding in a contract that a 
piece of w^ork Is to be held by a, key, don't know 
whether to let it fit on the top or bottom or on the 
sides, and it happens that some mechanics won't 
have a feather when a key can be used, while others 
won't have a key at any price. 

Let us see what has come of adopting other cor- 
ruptions in the United States, and I ask the read- 
er the following questions : If I ask a boy to fetch 
me a three-quarter wrench, Is he not as much justi- 
fied in bringing me one to fit a three-quarter inch 
tap as a three-quarter inch nut wrench ? How is he 
to know whether a solid wTench, hexagon wrench or 
a square wrench is meant ? In other English-speak- 
ing countries, an Instrument for rotating the heads 
of tools, and having a square hole to receive such 
heads, is a wrench. Thus a three-quarter wrench 
is a wrench that will fit a three-quarter tap. A 
*' wrench " that spans the side of a nut, and is open 
at the end, is termed a " spanner." There can be no 
mistake about It, it is a, spanner or a thing that spans. 

Now, suppose the ''wrench" goes on the end of 
the nut head, you call it a box wrench, because Its 
hole is enclosed on all sides but one, and it boxes in 



I Go 



iu,A('KSMrniiN(;. 



the bolt head. '1 liiis the term wrench is properly 
applied to those tools in whic h the head of tlu^ work 
is cm ('K)ped on all sides I))' tlu^ tool (hut not of 
coiirst', at the cml or ciuls). 

hOr example, in hi^. ik), .1 is a spanner, /> a 
hox wrench, /:' a (h)uhK' (hamUed) and /^ a single 
wrench, and Ironi these simple elements a name can 
be oi\^'n to any form of wrench that will indicate its 
form and use. Thus. \' \i^. i :?o will be a pin span- 
ner, so that if a boy who chd not know the tools was 
sent to pick out an)' recpiired tool from its name he 




I'ig. \2o A Pin Spanner. 



woidd be able to i\o so if i^iven the simple defini- 
tions 1 ha\c' named, 'ldu;se definitions are the old 
ones more used anions the Enolish-speakino^ people 
than ** monki'X' wreiuh," which indicates a cross be- 
tween a monkc)' and a wrencdi. 

No, no, don't \r[ the errors of a ndnorit}' inlluence 
us simpl)' because we happen to he in a i)hice or 
town where; that niinorit\' is prominent, and il we are 
to make an American kmi^^uai^e let it be an Ameri- 
can improx cMuent, ha\ in^ system and reason in its 



BLACKSMITIIING. l6l 

composition. A man need not say p-e-n-e, /^;2^, be- 
cause the majority of those around his locaHty were 
Irishmen and would pronounce it that way whether 
you spell it pane, pene, or peen. A man need not 
spell h-a-m-m-er and pronounce it honimer because 
the majority of those in the place he is in are Scotch- 
men. And we need not alter pane to pene or peen 
promiscuously because a majority of those around us 
do so, they being in a minority of those speaking our 
language, especially since pene or peen does not sig- 
nify the thing named any plainer than pane, which 
can be found in the dictionary, while the ioxm^xcant 
be found there. 

We have got now to some Americanisms in pro- 
nunciation that are all wrong, and that some of our 
school-teachers will insist on, thus : d-a u-n-t-e-d is 
pronounced by a majority of Americans somewhat as 
darnted, instead of more like dawnted : now, if daun, 
in daunted, is pronounced darn, please pronounce 
d, a, u in daughter and it becomes " darter." I shrink 
from making other comparisons as, for example, if 
au spells ah or ar, pronounce c-a-u g-h-t. 

We are the most correct English-speaking nation 
in the world, and let us remain so, making our alter- 
ations and additions improvements, and not merely 
meaningless idioms.— /?jj/ Hammer and Tongs. 

Note. — This writer talks learnedly, but neverthe- 
less he is condemned by the very authority which he 
cites (and correctly too) in support of his pronun- 



1 62 BLACKSMITHING. 

elation of the word Pane. Webster's Unabridged 
gives the au in daunted th^ sound of a m farther so 
that the word (our contributor to the contrary not- 
withstanding), should be pronounced as though 
spelled Darnted. — Ed. 

Tongs for Bo It- Making. 

I send a sketch of a pair of tongs suitable for mak- 
ing bolts. The jaws are eight inches and the reins 
ten inches long. A glance at the engraving, Fig. 



•<— :^' 10 IN. --- — >< g IN. >' 

Fig. 121— Tongs Designed by "Southern Blacksmith." 

121, will show that it is not necessary to open the 
hands to catch the head on any size of bolt. These 
tongs should be made very light. The trouble with 
all nail grabs is that the rivet is put too near the 
prongs, and when you try to get nails out of the bot- 
tom of a keg the reins catch in the top and the tongs 
can't open far enough. — By Southern Blacksmith. 

Home-Made Fan for Blacksmith's Use. 

To construct a home-made hand blower proceed as 
follows : Make two side pieces of suitable boards of 
the shape shown in Fig. 122 of the accompanying 
sketches. Make a narrow groove in the line marked 



BLACKSMITH I NG. 



163 



A. Procure a strip of sheet-Iron of the width the 
blower is desired to be, and bend it to correspond 




Fig. 122— Side Elevation of "E. H. W.'s " Blower. 

with the groove. Then the two sides are to be 
clasped upon the sheet-iron, with small bolts. This 




Fig. 123— Manner of Attaching the Fans to the Shaft of Blower. 



164 



BLACKSMITH I NO. 



will form the blower case. The small circle shown 
in the center of T ig. 122, incloses a portion to be cut 
out for the admission of the cuirent of air. The 
shaft is made by taking a block of wood large enough 
to make a pulley about \^y^ inches in diameter, the 




Fig. 124— Cross-section Through Blower, showing Bearings for Shaft. 

lenoth of the block beino- from bearing to bearing of 
shaft. Bore a central longitudinal hole ^-inch in 
diameter in the block, turn a plug to fit the hole. 
Put the plug in place and place all on the lathe and 
turn, leaving the part where fans are to be attached 
about I 2-5 inches in diameter. Square this part 
and fasten the fans thereto, as shown in Fig. 123. 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



165 



Constructed as there shown they are Intended to re- 
volve from left to right. On removuig the block 
from the lathe the wooden plug is withdrawn and 
a rod of half-inch iron Is put in, projecting at 
each end an inch and a quarter for journals. The 
bearings for the shaft are simply blocks of wood 
screwed to the sides of the case, with holes bored to 




Fig. 125 — General View of Blower, in connection with Forge. 

fit the shaft as shown in Fig. 124. The dimensions 
of my blower are as follows : Case, 9 inches in diam- 
eter Inside of sheet-iron; width of case, 3 Inches; cen- 
tral opening; to admit air, 3 inches in diameter ; pul- 
ley, i^ inches In diameter. The fans are of pine, 
one-quarter Inch thick at the base, diminishing In 



i66 



BLACKSMITHING. 



thickness to one-eighth Inch at the point. Fig. 125 
shows my portable forge, upon which the above de- 
scribed fan is employed. The frame is made of four- 
foot pine fence pickets. The fire-pot is an old soap 
kettle partly filled with ashes to prevent the bottom 
from getting too hot. — By E. H. W. 



Making a Pair of Pinchers. 

The subject of my remarks is one of the simplest 
yet most useful tools in the shop, a pair of pinchers. 
Fully one-half of my brother smiths will say, '* Who 




>>. "-N 



•^-..> 



Fig. 1 26 — Shows Method of Forging. 



doesn't know all about pinchers ?" From the appear- 
ance of two-thirds of those I see in use, I am con- 
vinced that if the makers knew all about them, then 
they slighted their work when they made them. To 



BLACKSMITHING. 



167 



make a neat and strong pair of pinchers, forge out of 
good cast steel such a shape as is shown in Fig. 126, 
and then bend to shape, as in the dotted lines. When 
one-half of the forging is done, forge the other jaw 




Fig. 127 — Showing the Pinchers Finished. 

in same way, and make sure that they have plenty of 
play before riveting them together. Then fit and 
temper, and you will have a strong neat tool, as 
shown in Fig. 127. Fig. 128 represents the style of 




Fig. 128— Showing a Faulty Method of Making Pinchers. 



pinchers generally made. They are awkward and 
weak looking, and work about as they look. The 
cutting edge is entirelv too far from the rivet. — By 
J. O. H. 



l68 BLACKSMITHING. 

A Handy Tool for Holding Iron and Turning Nuts. 

Fig. 129 represents a small tool I use in my shop 
and find very handy to hold round iron and turn 
nuts, etc., in hard places. Wheelwrights and carriage 
painters, as well as blacksmiths, will find it a very 




Fig. 129— Tool for Holding Iron and Turning Nuts. 

convenient tool. It is of steel and is quite light. It 
is made the same as a pair of tongs, having teeth 
filed on the inside of the jaws and having clasp pull- 
ers on the end of the handles. — By L. F. F. 

A Handy Tool to Hold Countersunk Bolts. 

A handy tool to hold countersunk bolts in plows, 
etc., is made as follows : I take a piece of iron, say 
^-inch square and ten inches long, as shown in Fig. 
130, and punch a slotted hole four inches from the 
pointed end. The hole should be ^ x ^ inch. I 
then take a piece of iron ^-inch square and make a 
slotted hole in this at one end and a tenon in the 



BLACKSMITHING. 



169 



Other, as shown 3.t A in Fig. 131. I next punch a 
J^-inch hole in the slotted end, and then take apiece 
of iron ^ inch x j4 inch and 6 inches long, and draw 
one end out to ^ inch and turn a hook on it, as 
shown in Fig. 132. I then punch two or three holes 
in the other end, take a piece of steel ^ inch x j^ 




Fig. 130— The First Stage in the Job. 

inch, draw it to a point like a cold chisel; then take 
the piece shown in Fig. 13, split the end, and put 
in the small pointed piece I have just mentioned, and 
weld and temper. I then put all my pieces together 
in the following manner : After heating the tenon 
end of the piece A in Fig. 131 to a good heat, I place 





Fig. 131 — Two additional parts of the Tool, 

it in my vise and place on the piece shown in Fig. 
130, letting the tenon of the piece A go through the 
piece shown in Fig. 130, and while it is hot rivet or 
head it over snugly and tightly. If this is done right, 
the tenon and slotted hole in A will point the same way. 
I then take the piece B shown in Fig. 131, and place 



170 



BLACKSMITHINC. 



it in the slot of A and join the twopieces with a loose 
rivet, as shown in Fig. 132, so that the piece can be 
moved about to suit different kinds of work. I next 
place the pointed end of the bolt holder against the 
bolt head and give the other end a tap with the ham- 




Fig. 132 — The Parts united and Tool complete. 

mer ; then hook the piece shown in Fig. 131 over the 
plow bar and bear down on the cutter end with my 
knee, while with my wrench I take off the top. A 
ring may be welded in the end to use in hanging the 
tool up. — By C. W. C. 



Making a Pair of Clinching Tongs. 

The following is my way of making clinching 
tongs : I take a piece of 5-8 square steel and forge 
it out the same as I would for common tongs, mak- 
ing the jaws }4 inch wide by yS inch thick, one jaw 
I j4 inches long and the other 2}4 inches in length. I 
then draw out the short jaw to 10 inches and draw 
the long one to 12 inches. I then turn the long jaw 
back as shown at A in Fig. 133 of the accompanying 
engravings, and shape the short jaw as in Fig. 134. I 
next take the )^-inch fuller and notch the inside of 



BLACKSMlTHtNG. 



171 



the short jaw as shown at B in Fig. 134. I then put 
notches in the long jaw at A, and next drill a 5-16- 




Fig. 133 — The Long Jaw. 

Inch rivet hole as In other tongs and take a 5 16-inch 
bolt with a long thread and screw one nut on the 




Fig. 134 — The Short Jaw. 

bolt down far enough to receive both jaws and 
another nut. I then temper the curved jaw at A 




Fig. 135 — The Tongs Complete. 

until a good file can just cut it. I next put In the 
bolt and bend the reins as shown in Fig. 135. The 



172 



BLACK SMITHING* 



object of bending at C is to prevent the jaws from 
pinching your fingers if they slip off a clinch. I have 
a pair of tongs made in this way that I have used 
for the last five years. — By J. N. B. 

Tongs for Holding Slip Lays. 

The accompanying illustration, Fig. 136, represents 
a pair of tongs for holding right and left hand slip 
lays while sharpening and pointing, and making new 
lays. This tool does away with the clamping or 
riveting of the steel and bar before taking a welding 
heat, because it holds the two parts together better 




Fig. 1 36— Tongs for Holding Slip Lays. 

than any clamp or rivet. The double T, or head y^, 
is forged from Swedish iron. The handle, ij*, is weld- 
ed to the head in the center, as shown in the illus- 
tration, and works between the forked handle C, D 
pushes against the end of the lay bar (right or left 
as the case may be), and that draws the top T up 
tight, and as it is bent in the same angle as a plow 
lay, but little power of grip is needed to hold the 
tongs to their place while sharpening or pointing. 



BLACKSMITHING. I J ;^ 

They clamp up so tight that often 3^011 have to tap 
them on the end of the handles to release the lay. 
Both handles have J^-inch holes through them and 
I use j^-inch bolts or pins in them to hold them 
together after they have been adjusted to fit the lay- 
An}/ good blacksmith can make these tongs and will 
certainly find them very useful. — By A. O. K. 



CHAPTER VII. 
MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS. 

CONTINUED. 

Mending a Vise. 

I will make a few remarks about the vise, a tool 
which blacksmiths use every day. Some smiths be- 
lieve that when the threads or screws are worn out, 
it is necessary to buy a new vise. But this is an 
error; for the old vise can be mended so as to be as 
good as a new one. The job is done as follows : 

First cut the old vise screw off where the screw 
stops, or about two inches from the collar of the large 
end, then weld on a new piece of round iron and turn 
threads on it the same as if for a new vise screw. 
To cret them in line these threads should be done 

o 

with a lathe. It is better to have the screws taper 
slightly. The next thing in order will be to get the 
screw threads in the box. First, take a drill and turn 
the old threads out, smoothly and true. Care must 
be taken to have a space of at least 3-16 of an inch 
all round the screw when it is placed in the thread- 
less box. Then take a long piece of Swedish iron 
just thick enough to be bent in the screw, and about 
3-16, or a fraction under, than the depth of the threads 
on the screws. Bend this Hat iron from one end of 



BLACKSMITHING. • 1 75 

the screw to the other, then make another piece of 
iron that will fit in the screws that the first piece of 
iron left after it was bent. This second piece we find 
will be as thick as the screws on the vise screw, and 
as wide as the first piece extends above the screws. 
This being done, all is closed up smooth, the second 
piece holding the main threads firm after the screw 
is turned out. Now the threads are on the vise screw, 
and it is nearly ready to be put In the box. First 
dress the outside of the threads off, so the screw can 
be driven in the box when it is a little warm, then 
drive screw threads all Into the box at about the 
place where they belong, then let the box cool, and 
turn the screw out of the threads and braze the 
screws ; put the brass on end side. When you are 
melting It, keep turning the box so It will be brazed 
all over. When cool, grease the screw and threads 
well and slowly turn it in. The main thread must 
not fit too tightly in the screws. This makes the 
best vise screw. By measuring the depth of the hole 
in the box you can tell how long to make the threads 
on the screw — By J. W. 

A Cheap Reamer. 

The following may be an old Idea, though I have 
discovered it for myself: Heat an old three-cornered 
file ; hammer one corner down, then grind the same 
round and the other corner sharp, temper, and you 
have a cheap taper reamer, cutting both ways. — By 
Will Todd. 



i;^ 



BLACKSMITHING. 



Shapes of Lathe Tools. 

Every toolsmith knows the trouble he has to con- 
tend with in tool dressing. One man wants a- tool 
this shape, another a different shape. One wants 
his tools fully hardened, while another prefers a straw 
temper. Of course, in a shop large enough to keep 
a toolsmith for this special work, the smith makes 
the tools to the shape he has found by experi- 




The Shape and Use of Cutting Tools for Lathes. Fig. 137 — The 
Diamond Point Tool. 



ence to be the most suitable for general work, only 
varying it to suit some special occasion. 

But in a small shop tool forging becomes a part of 
the duty of the ordinary blacksmith, and in order 
that he may know what shapes tools should be given 
he must understand the principles governing their 
action. These principles I will now explain so plain- 
ly and carefully that no one can fail to comprehend 
them. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



-^11 



Fig. 137 of the accompanying illustrations repre- 
sents what is commonly called the diamond-point 
tool, a being its top face, b its bottom one, and c and 
d the cutting edges. This is a very common form of 




Y\g, 138— Showing a Tool Easy to Forge and Grind. 

tool, but I do not believe it is the best one even for 
the purpose of plain outside turning, a much easier 
tool to forge and to grind being the one shown in 




Fig. 139— Sliowing the Rake of the Top Face. 

Fig. 138. The rake of the top face is its angle in 
the direction of the arrow in Fig. 139,' and the rake 
of the bottom face b is its angle in the direction of 
the arrow in Fig. 140. 



178 



BLACKSMITH I NG. 



The efficiency and the durability of the cutting 
edge depends upon the degrees of rake given to 
these two faces. Obviously the less rake the strong- 
er the cutting edge, but the less keen the tool. 

If we give a tool an excess of top rake, as in Fig. 




Fig. 140 — Showing the Rake of the Bottom Face. 

141, the cutting edge will soon dull, but the cutting 
C will come off clean cut and In a laro^e coil, if the 




TOOL 



Fig. 141 — Showing a Tool with an Excess of Top Rake. 

tool is fed into the work. The strain on the top face, 
however, will be in the direction of D, and the tool 
will be liable to dip Into the cut when the cut deep- 
ens, as it will in some places on account of a want of 
roundness in the iron. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



179 



If, on the other hand, we give too much bottom rake, 
as in Fig. 142, the cutting edge will be weak, and 
there being but little top rake, the pressure will be 
in the direction oi D, Furthermore, the cutting will 
come off in almost straight pieces and all broken up. 




Fig. 142— Showing a Tool with too much Bottom Rake. 

A fair amount of top and bottom rake for wrought 
iron is shown in Fig. 143, the top rake being dimin- 
ished for cast iron and for steel. 

The best guide as to the efficiency of a tool is its 




Fig. 143 — Showing a well proportioned Tool for Wrought Iron. 

cuttings or chips, as they are commonly called. 
When the tool is fed upward only, the cutting should 
come off in a large circle as in Fig. 141, and if the 
coil is small there is insufficient top rake. But when 



i8o 



BLACKSMITHING. 



fed level along the work the cutting comes off In a 
spiral, such as in Fig. 144. The more top rake the 
tool has the more open the coils will be, the cuttino- 
shown being as open as it should be even for the 
softest of wrought iron. The harder the metal the 
less top rake a tool should have, wh'le the bottom 
rake should in all cases be kept as small as possible, 




WOR*V 



TOOL 



Fig. 144 — Showing how the Cutting comes off when the Tool 

is fed Level. 

say 10 degrees for the rate of feed of an average 16- 
inch lathe. The tool point should never stand far 
above the top of the tool steel, the position shown in 
Fig. 138 being for a newly-forged tool. 

The practiced hand may have these tools fully 
hardened, but the beginner should temper them to 
a light straw color, 



BLACKSMITHING. l8l 

The top of anvil should be perfectly level and 
smooth, and the center of the same should be harder 
than the edges, because it receives the brunt of the 
blows. When used on the upper floors of a building-, 
when a solid foundation can not be had, resort is had 
to a device by means of which the jar of the blows 
is obviated. This consists in mounting the anvil 
upon a stout spring whose upward rebound is coun- 
teracted by smaller springs placed above. — By 
Joshua Rose. 

Useful Attachment to Screw Stock Dies. 

Having an order to fill for a small quantity of Iron 
pins 2^ by i-8 inch in diameter, to be threaded at 
each end with a wood screw thread, and having no 
tools to cut the threads with, I devised and used the 
following plan, which answered so satisfactorily that 
I think the idea may be of service to others, and 
hence send you sketches of It. 

C, in Fig. 145, is the die stock having In it the dies 
B By with the requisite pitch of thread. On the 
die stock Is fastened a tool post and tool at F and a 
copper steadying piece at A. The tool may be made 
from i^-inch square Stubbs or Crescent steel carefully 
filed to the shape of the thread to be cut and care- 
fully tempered. ^ is a steel sleeve screwed with a 
thread of the same pitch and sawn through its axis 
one way to point D, and the spring tempered In oil. 



l82 



BLACKSMITHING. 



The pin to be threaded is inserted through the 
sleeve Ey which on being gripped in the vise secure- 




Fig. 145 — Attachment to Screw Stock Dies as designed by " W. D." 

' Side View. 

ly holds the pin. When the stock is revolved E 
regulates the pitch of the thread that the tool will 




Fig. 146— Plan View of " W. U.'s" stock. 

cut on the pin. Hence the stock maybe used in the 
ordinary manner. A plan view is shown in Fig. 146. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



l8 



If many bolts are wanted it would be well to make 
a pair of blank or soft dies or otherwise a piece of 
thin sheet-brass between the dies, and the sleeve will 
be of service. I may state that the thread cut by this 
tool when well made, is equal to any wood screw, 
whether made of iron, steel, or manufactured brass. 
—By W. D. 

Wear of Screw-Threading Tools. 

It Is well-known that a tap can be sharpened by 
grinding the tops of the teeth only, and since the 
reason of this explains why the work goes together 
tighter as the tools wear, permit me to explain it. In 




Fig. 147— Section of Tap showing Wear of Screw-Threading Tools. 

Fig. 147, which presents a section of the tap, A B 
are the top corners and E F the bottom corners of 
the thread. Now, as the thread is formed by cutting 
a groove, and the teeth cut the groove, it is evident 
that A B cut continuously, but as ^ /^ do not meet 
the work until the thread is cut to Its full depth, they 



i84 



BLACICSMITHING. 



do no cutting, providing the tapping hole is the right 
size, as it should be. It follows then that the 
corners A B wear the most, and like all sharp 
corners they wear rounding. 

Now take the case of the die in Fig. 148, and it Is 
evident that the corners C /> do the cutting, and, 
therefore, wear rounding more than the corners G 
Hy which only meet the work when it has a full 




Fig. 148 — Section Through a Die. 

thread cut on it. Now take a bolt and nut with a 
thread cut on it by worn dies, and we shall have the 
condition of things shown in Fig. 149 ; rounded 
corners at ^ ^ on the nut and at C D on the bolt, 
and sharp corners at ^ /^ on the nut and at G H on 
the bolt. Hence corners G H jam against corners 
A B, and corners E /^ jam against corners C D. So 
much for the wear, and now for the sharpening of 



BLACKSMITHING. 



I 8 



the tap. It Is evident that as the tops of the teeth 
do the main part of the cutting, they get dull quickest, 




Fig. 149— Enlarged Section Through a Bolt and Nut cut by Worn Dies. 

and therefore by grinding them the teeth are greatly 
sharpened. — By J. R. 

Tool for Wagon Clips. 

The following tool for use In bending buggy, 
saddle and wagon clips. Is ^easily made and will save 
much time where a number of clips are used. Figs. 
151 and 152 show the tool taken apart. In making 
it have the width from axle to axle the required 
width of the clip, and have the part A so that it will 
fit up tight In the slot H. The part B, shown in Fig. 
151, Is of the same width as A. Fig. 150 shows the 
tool put together with the clip fastened In It ready 
for bending. In bending clips In a tool of this kind, 
they can be formed half round, If desired. Round 



i86 



BLACKSMITHING. 



and square iron may be used as required. In using 
the tool proceed as follows : Place A, of Fig. 151, in 
the slot H, then place the clip in the slo<" at O. Next 




Fig. 1 50 — Device for Bending Clips, with Detail of Wedge and a View 

of a Finished Clip. 

drive the wedge-shaped key D in the slots of C and 
B, When the clip is fastened in the tool, as shown 




Fig. 151— The Principal Part of the Tool. 

in Fig. 150, with a hand hammer bend the ends 
against the parts F F oi the tool. In taking the clip 
out of the tool drive the pin out of the slots and drive 



BLACKSMITHING. 



187 



the clevis from the mandrils. At this stage the clip 
will be finished, or In other words It will be shown In 
the shape as shown at C and ready for swedging the 




Fig. 152 — Detail of the Clamping Device. 

parts for the nuts. By a little practice any smith 
will be able to bend nearly a square corner on the 
outside of the clip. — By H. R. H. 

A Handy Tool. 

Many times, lu taking old carriages apart, con- 
siderable trouble arises from the turning of bolts, as 



^^ 




Fig, 153— A Handy Tool. 

the small square under the head will not hold the 
bolt If the nut turns hard. In such cases It Is usually 



i8S 



BLACKSMITHING. 



necessary to split the nut, to get the bolt out. The 
tool in question will save many bolts and much 
vexation of spirit. Set the jaws ciown over the head 
B of the bolt, Fig. 153, strike on the top of the jaw 
at A with a hammer to settle into the wood ; then 
pinch the handles and you have it held fast, and the 
nut can then be readily turned off. The tool is about 
10 inches long, and 5-8 to ^ of an inch in thickness, 
measuring through the points joined by the rivet. It 
will work on bolts from 3-16 to 3-8, and even larger. 
A blacksmith can make a pair in one hour, and save 
many hours of valuable time. For the want of a 
better name we call it a " Polly." — By O. F. F. 

False Vise-Jaws for Holding Rods, etc. 

Here is a simple device for holding bolts in a vise. 
Though an old invention it is not as well-known as 




Fig. 154 -False Vise-Jaws. End View. 

It ought to be. Fig. 1 54 of the illustration shows the 
end of a pair of cast-brass jaws fitting on the vise. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



189 



Fig. 155 shows one jaw. The same pattern will 
do for both. Clamp the jaws and drill the holes, 
filing them afterward to the shape desired. Square 




Fig. 155 — Showing one of the Jaws. 

holes are most useful, as they hold both round and 
square rods. Do not make the holes larger than need 




Fig. 156— The Botiom Tool for Making Spring Clips. 

be, and then they may be redressed when worn, or 
altered to suit new work. — By Will Tod. 



Making Spring Clips with Round Shanks and Half-Round 

Tope 

The accompanying Illustrations represent my 
method of making short spring clips. The bottom 



IQO BLACKSMITHING. 

tool shown In Fig. 156, should have a handle about 
12 inches lone. To make this tool take cast steel, 
say 3 X I inches, and first forge out the handle, then 
drill the two holes XX, These holes should be for 




Fig. 157— Showing how the Clip is Bent. 

5-16 iron, and drilled with a 11-32 drill as deep as the 
shaft required is long, and should never be drilled 
through the tool, but made as shown in Fig. 157 by 
the dotted lines X X. Fig. 159 represents the 




Fig. 158 — The Finished Clip. 

top swage. This is made of cast steel, the same as 
any common top swage. First cut out the impres- 
s-ion C the full length of the tool, then cut down the 
recess B B, then punch out the eye D for the handle, 



BLACKSMITHING. 



191 



This top swage is made to fit the bottom swage or 
handle tool, Fig. 156. To make the clips proceed 
as follows : Cut 5-16 inch round iron the proper 
length, bend it as shown in Fig. 157, place it in the 
tool, Fig. 156, set the swage. Fig. 159, on top of the 




Fig. 159 — The Top Tool used in Making Spring Clips. 

iron, and with five or six blows from the sledge you 
get the clip with both corners bent, as shown in Fig. 
158. Any smith after two or three trials will know 
just how long to cut the iron to get the best results. 
The tool must be kept cool, for when it gets hot it 
will stick the clip.- -By H. R. H. 

Handy Tool for Marking Joints. 

Not wishing to secure everything and give noth- 
ing in return, I send you a sketch, Fig. 160, of a 



192 



BLACKSMITHING. 



handy tool to mark ofT joints where one cyh'ndrical 
body joins another. ^ is a stem on a stand E. A 
loose sleeve, B, slides on A carrying an arm C, hold- 
a pencil at D. A piece of tridy surfaced wood or 
iron, .^F, has marked on it the line y. Two Vs, G 
G, receive the work P. Now, if the centers of 6^ 6^ 




Fig. 160— Handy Tool for Marking Joints. 

and of the stand £ all coincide with the liney, then 
£ will stand central to P, and V may be moved by 
the hand around, P being allowed to lift and fall on 
A so as to conform to the cylindrical surface of P, 
and a line will be marked showing where to cut away 
the wood on that side, and all you have to do is to 



BLACKSMITHING. 



193 



turn the work over and mark a similar line diamet- 
rically opposite, the second line being shown at K. 
—By S. M. 

Tools for Holding Bolts in a Vise. 

I send sketches of what I find a very handy tool 
for holding bolts or pins. It consists of a spring 




Fig. 161 — Showing how the Bolt is held by device of " M. S. H." 
clamp that goes between the vise jaws, as in Fig. 161 




Fig. 162 — Showing the Device adapted for Holding Round Pins. 

of the accompany engravings, and has a groove In 
its jaws to hold the round stems of bolts to the vise 



194 BLACKSMITHING. 

jaws, without damaging the heads. It may be made 
also, as in Fig. 162, with a hole on its end as well to 
hold round pins. It doesn't fall off the vise as other 
clamps do. — By W. S. H. 

A Tool for Making Singletree Clips. ^ 

I have recently devised a simple tool for making 
singletree clips from a single heat and will endeavor 
to explain how it is made. 

Proceed the same as in making any kind of a bot- 
tom swage, that is, take a piece of square iron the 
size of the hole in the anvil, and upset one end 
sufficiently for welding, then take another piece of 
iron ^-inch thick by 2^ inches wide and 8;^ inches 




Fig. 163 — Showing How the Ends are Shaped. 

long and draw the ends down to the shape shown in 
Fig. 163 of the accompanying illustrations. Upset 
in the center, or, if your anvil is small, a little to one 
side of the center, or enough so that when your 
swage is in place, the end will not project over the 
end of the anvil. Weld on the stem and fit to the 
anvil. Next, make two ^-inch grooves in each end 
of the swage commencing near the end and pointing 
to the center, as shown in Fig. 164. Have the 



BLACKSMITHING. 



195 



measurements as near as possible to the following: 
From A to By S inches ; from C to Dy i ^^ inclies. 
Next, take apiece of iron i x i }^inches and weld on the 
ends of the swage, extending over the swage about 




Fig. 164 — Showing How the Grooves are Made. 

y^ of an inch. Open up the ends of the grooves and 
the tool is ready for use, as in F^ig. 165. 

To make the clips take ^-inch round iron, cut off 
8J^ inches long, heat in the center and bend suffi- 
ciently to allow it to go in the tool, then flatten the 




Fig. 165— The Finished Tool. ^ 

center, take the clip out and bend it over the horn 
into shape. A smith can easily make a clip at each 
heat. Of course, for making clips of different sizes 
the tool must be made accordingly. — By J. W. C. 



Tool for Making Dash Heels. 

I send sketches of a tool for making dash-heels for 
buggies or phaetons, and will attempt to describe the 



196 



BLACKSMITHING. 



manner of making and using the tool. Fig. 166 rep- 
resents the article. It is made of cast steel as far as 
the dotted line shown to the right. At this point is 
welded on a piece of 7-8-inch round iron for the 
handle. The tool proper is four inches long, and 




Fig. 166— Tool for Making Dash Heels. General Appearance of the 

Tool. 

the handle twelve inches lonof. The thickness or 
depth of the tool is two and one-half inches. It is 
made wider at the bottom than at the top. Through 
the center of the tool, as shown in Fig. 166, a hole is 



A 



/o- 



A 



Fig. 167 — Tapering and Splitting the Piece of Iron to form the Article. 

made, passing from face to face. This hole is 7-8 by 
5-8 inch, which adapts the tool to making a heel of 
these dimensions. This weight is ample for a piano 
box, or phaeton body. The oval cavity in the upper 
face of the tool is five-eighths of an inch deep. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



197 



The manner of usincr the tool is as follows : Use 
Norway iron, 7-8 x ^ inch in size, and draw it out 
wedge shape, as indicated in Fig. 167, heat the end 
marked A A, and place the iron in the tool ; let the 




L J 



Fig. 168— Appearance of the Article upon Removing from the Tool. 

helper strike it four or five blows with the sledge ; 
next take a splitting chisel and while the iron is in 
the tool, split it, as shown in Fig. 167 at (9 ; replace 
the iron in the fire, and obtaining a good welding 




Fig. 169— Form of the Article Made in the Old Way. 

heat, put it in the tool again and hammer down the 
split ends in the oval part of the tool. With the 
same heat edge up the iron ; this is done by letting 
the piece come up two or four inches in the tool, and 



igS 



BLACKSMITHINC. 



holding It with the tool while edging it up. With 
the same heat also knock the iron down into the tool 
and swage wiih a top oval swage to match the oval 
of the tool. Take the iron out. It wdll be found 
that a heel has been formed as shown in Fig. i68. 
If the heel is required for a phaeton body, all that 
remains to be done is to punch the holes ; if, on the 
other hand, however, the heel is wanted for a piano- 
box or any other body with a panel In the front, it 
is necessary to bind the corner A, Fig. 1 68, as shown 
by the dotted lines. 

The old way of forging a dash heel was to split It, 




Fig. 170 — Tongs for Making the Bend shown at A in Fig. 168. 

forge and swage the oval ends A A, Fig. 169, and 
then bend the corners as shown by X X in the same 
figure. By forging a dash heel with the tool above 
described, bending one corner is saved, and the 
piece, when finished, does not set up like a stilt. 
The oval iron comes down on to the body. In fasten- 
ing the dash to the body always let the oval Iron pro- 
ject one-eighth of an Inch beyond the edge, so as to 
have the leather of the dash lie straight against the 
edge of the body. For making the bend A in Fig. 



BLACICSMITHING. I99 

168, I use a pair of tongs shown in Fig. 170. The 
lower jaw is one inch in depth and the upper jaw 
I j.^ inches. The length of the jaws is four inches, and 
their width lys inches. The manner of using these 
tongs is so evident upon inspection of the sketch 
that further explanation is unnecessary. — By H. R. 
H. 

Mending Augers and other Tools. 

It often happens that a good auger with the screw 
broken off is thrown away as useless. Now I will 
try to tell how I have often made a quarter repairing 
such augers. 

Take a file of suitable size and cut a groove the width 
of the old screw about 3-16 inch deep, a little wider 
at the bottom than the top (dovetail form). Then 
form apiece of steel the shape of the screw with a 
base to it neatly and tightly in the groove. Then coat 
the edges with a mixture as follows : 

Equal parts of sulphur and any white lead with 
about a sixth of borax. Mix the three thoroughly, 
and when about to apply the preparation wet it with 
strong sulphuric acid, press the blank screw tightly 
in the groove, lay it away five days, and then you 
will find it as solid as if welded ; then smooth up and 
file the threads on the screw. The job will not take 
a half hour's work, or cost three cents for material, 
and the same process may be used for mending 
almost any broken tool, without drawing the temper. 
—By D. F. Kirk. 



200 



BLACKSMITHING. 



An Attachment to a Monkey Wrench. 

I enclose sketches of a tool that I have found very 
useful in my shop. It Is an attachment for a monkey 
wrench. It is made of steel and of the same size as 




Fig. 171 — Showing how the Teeth are made. 

the head of the wrench. The teeth are filed in so 
that they slant downward toward the wrench, as 
shown in Fig. 171. A small tire-bolt holds the at- 
tachment in placer Fig. 172, represents the attach- 




Fig. 172 — Showing the Attachment in operation on the Wrench. 

ment in position on a wrench and gripping piece of 
pipe. This device will hold round rods or pipe as 
well as a pair of gas-pipe tongs w^ould. — By G. W. P. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



20I 



A Handy Tool for Finishing Seat Rails, etc. 

Fig. 173 represents a tool that I have found very 
handy in finishing eyes in seat rails, braces and other 
work that requires to be fitted exactly. I made this 
tool like a number of others that I use, for a particu- 
lar job. It answered the purpose so well that I made 
others, of different sizes. It can be made by any 




Fig. 173 — A Tool for Finishing Eyes in Seat Rails, etc. 



machinist. The shank, ^, is 2-1-2 inches long and 1-2 
inch in diameter to fit the drilling machine. The head, 
A, and the follower, C, can be made to agree with the 
work they are to be used on. The cutting lips, D, 
are filed to shape, and tempered to straw color. With 
this tool you can smooth up. — By '' Blacksmith." 



502 



blacksmithing. 



A Tool for Pulling Yokes on Clips. 

The illustration, Fior. 174, represents a very handy 
and useful tool of my own invention, which I use for 
putting yokes on clips or as a clip puller. A and //, 
as shown in the illustration, are of '}i-'^ inch square steel, 




Fig. 174 — A Tool to Pull Yokes on Clips. 

A has two ears welded to it on each side at />, and a 
loop is welded on at C\ F hinges on to H at G, and 
// hinges on to y^ at /; E hooks into the yoke ; D 
hooks on the end of the clip. By closing the handles, 
the yoke is pulled to the clip or vise. — By A. D. S. 



Making a Candle Holder. 

I was driving, and full thirty miles from a railroad 
and three miles from the town I wished to reach, 
when I lost a jack bolt. ^Fortunately a little smithy 
was near, but it was late in the day, and before the 
son of Vulcan had finished his evening meal and was 
ready to attend to my wants it was dark. With tal- 
low candle in hand, the smith, with his man and I, 
went to his shop and the job was done ; the smith 
doing the work, the helper holding the candle. I 
asked the smith if he found it profitable to pay a helper 



BLaCksMithiNG. 



203 



to hold the candle, and he answered that he knew no 
better way. I told him that I would pass by his shop 
again the next day and would show him then how to 
make a cheap and handy candle-holder. I kept my 
word and did the job before his eyes, as follows : 

I took a piece of band iron, i^ inches wide and 
10 inches long, bent it as shown in the accompany 
ing illustration, so as to join the two angles, each 3 
inches long, leaving the back, Ay 4 inches. I then 




Fig. 175— Showing Candle Holder Complete. 



bored the holes B B, 1-2 inch, and at L (on A) made 
a 3-8-inch hole. I next took iron ^ x 3-16-inch and 
6 inches long, turned a shoulder on it after upsetting, 
squared the hole at L and fitted into it the end on 
E. I next took a piece of i x 12 inch hoop iron and 
made the spring D, concaving the ends, which I 
riveted on the inner side of A by means of the 
shoulder on E. I next made the pieces F F and 
G^ and drilled and riveted them 2.s 2X K K K, I 



204 



BLACKSMITH I NG. 



next took a block of wood, H, i 1-2 inches diameter, 
3 inches long, in which I bored a hole to suit the 
candle, which I secured with a screw on the under 
side, and my candlestick was complete, as seen in ac- 
companying illustration, Fig. 175. 

My friend watched me patiently all the way 
through, and was inclined to believe that he had me 
at my wits' end and suggested that he was no better 
off than before. I asked him to have a little patience. 
I soon found a piece of 7-16 round iron, turned an 
eye on one end, and, making a point on the other, 
passed it through the bracket. This served as a 
support. The spring took good hold. I put the 
stake in the bench, lowered and raised the holder 
and turned it every way. — By Iron Doctor. 

Making a Bolt Trimmer. 

I have a bolt trimmer which is very easily made, 
and cannot help giving satisfaction. 

It is shown complete below. The cutting jaws 




Fig. 176— Showing " C. C. O.'s " Bolt Trimmer Complete. 

are of good tool steel. The stationary jaw is welded 
to the iron handle at A^ making the handle and cut- 



BLACKSMITHING. 205 

ter one piece. The movable cutter works in a fork, 
as seen in Fig. i 76. 

I have my cutter made with side phites, :^ yi J 
inches, and handles two feet long. 

For convenience in sharpening I have put it to- 
gether with bolts.- — By C. C. O. 



A Labor-SavIng Tool. 

I send drawing of a tool that I have found to be 
very handy. It is my own idea and a handy tool, 
especially in plow or buggy work. For plow work 
it cannot be beaten. The holder is of cast steel and 




Fig. 177— Showing " B. F. C.'s" Labor-Saving Tool. 

made with two spurs to fit against bolt heads. The 
steel is welded into a ^-round iron, 18 inches long. 
Drill four or five holes for the pin that runs through 
the holder. 

To make the holder take two pieces of i%hy 5-16 
flat iron, weld to make as shown in Fig. 177. Round 
the end and cut threads for burr brake or pin to hold. 
When in use the other end is made to pull the bolts 
to the jaw. 



2o6 



BLACKSMITHING. 



It will be seen from Fig. 177 that this holder is 
made to turn in any direction and will hold on any 
shear. — By B. F. C. 

Making a Spike- Bar. 

I will try to describe a handy spike-bar and tie- 
fork for mine road men. This tool enables them to 
do a third more work than they could do with the 
spike-bar generally used in coal mines. In making 
the bar I weld i-inch square steel to i-inch round 




Fig. 178— Handy Spike-bar and Tie-Fork for Mine Road Men. 

iron and use 7-8-round for the fork-prongs. A, in 
the accompanying illustration, Fig. 178, represents 
the part that goes under the tie, and B is where the 
tool rests on the rail. The man, while driving, sits 
at C. D should be made J^ inch longer on the un- 
der side than the spike is. — By R. Delbridge. 



How to Make a Tony Square. 

This is a very simple thing to make, and very use- 
ful for trying six or eight-square timber or iron. It 



BLACKSMITHING. 207 

is very handy in making wheelbarrow hubs or any- 
thing of that sort. 

Take an ordinary try square and saw a slit in it 
opposite the blade ; next take a piece of steel plate of 




Fig. 179— Showing " Village Smith's" Tony Square. 

the same thickness of the blade and cut it to about 
one-third of the length of blade in the try square. 
Insert the short blade in the slit as shown in Fig, 
179 and you have a ''tony" square that will do its 
work as nice as you please. — By Village Smith. 

An Easy Bolt Clipper. 

I have a bolt clipper of my own invention and 
which I think is a very good one. It is simple and 
easily made The lever Ey in Fig. i8o, and the jaw 
/are of one piece of solid steel. The lever L and 
jaw J/ are also of steel, but in two pieces, as shown 
by the dotted line at 77, which is a joint that works 
by the opening and closing of the handle or lever Z. 
/^ is a steel plate, there being another on the opposite 



208 



BLACKSMITHING. 



side. The plates are three-sixteenths of an inch 
thick. The distance from y4 to ^ is five inches 
from center to center of bolt holes. From B to C 
is two inches from center to center, and from center of 
bolt hole C to joint // is three and one-half inches. 




Fig. 1 80— An Easy Bolt Clipper, as made by Chris. Vogel. 



From ioint //to center of bolt hole K is one and 
one-half inches. The handles or levers are two feet 
six inches in length. The set-screw T is used to 
prevent the jaws / and Af from coming together. 
With this clipper I can cut anything up to a one-half 
inch bolt. — Bj/ Chris. Vogel. 



A Tool for Pulling on Felloes. 

The illustration, Fig. 181, shows a tool I have for 
drawing on felloes when making or repairing wheels. 
The ring, A, which goes over the nut is about 10 
inches in diameter ; the rod, i)^ is 2 feet long and 
made from 5-8 iron. It has a thread cut one-half the 
leno-th. C is a comet nut about one foot long before 
being bent. i9 is a piece of ij^ x 3-8 inch flat iron 



BLACKSMITHING. 



209 



and bent as shown. It Is drilled 1 1-16 so that It will 
easily slip over the rod ; the end is widened and 




Fig. 181 — Tool for Pulling on Felloes, made by Louis Tuthill. 

slightly turned up. There is power enough in this 
to draw a small wheel all out of shape. — By Louis 
Tuthill. 

How to Make a Handy Hardy. 

I have a very handy hardy which can be made with 
little expense. Take an old saw file and break off 
a short piece from each end. Draw the temper and 
it is ready for use. If it should stick to the iron 
when cutting, grind the sides a little. If you are 
careful to lay it level on the anvil you will have no 
difficulty in cutting heavy tires — by turning the 
iron. I have used one of these hardies for a year 
without breaking it. — By R. C. 



A Handy Clincher. 

The accompanying illustration, Fig. 182, repre- 
sents a clincher which I believe to be a little better 



2IO 



BLACKSMITHING. 



than any I have ever seen. It can be made from 




Fig. 182 — The Handy Clincher, as made by A. F. Reinbeck. 

an old shoeing hammer. The cut shows the con- 
struction so clearly that no further explanation is 
necessary. — By A. F. Reinbeck. 

A Bolt Holder. 

I have a bolt-holder that gives good satisfaction, 
see Fig. 183 : it is very useful in preventing bolts 
from turning. The eye is forged from 7-8 square 
iron, the eye 5-16 x i J^ inches ; the part that presses 
against the bolt-head is steel, the iron being split 




Fig. 183— Bolt Holder. 

and spiral inserted ; the square part being 5 inches 
long ; from the square to the point, about 4^ in- 
ches ; the handle welded out of .J^^-inch round iron. 
The curved piece passing through eye is made from 
I X i^-inch stake iron — By]. R Small, 



BLACKSMITHING. 



211 



Making a Cant-Hook. 

Some smiths may think that the making of a cant- 
hook is a job too simple to write about, but to make 
a hook that will catch hold every time is not so easy 
after all. My way of making such a hook is as fol- 
lows : 

First, make an eye to go around the handle, then 
make the hook almost any shape, or bend it so that 




Fig. 184 — Cant-Hook. 

you can then rivet it to the eye and put on the 
handle. Bend the point so that it will lie flat on the 
handle when closed, as shown in the accompanying 
illustration, Fig. 184. Then it will always catch and 
\io\d.—By E. P. A. 

Making a Cant- Hook. 

The accompanying illustrations represent my way 
of making a cant-hook. 

The clasp is made of i^ inch by ^-inch Norway 
iron. I get the exact measure around the handle, 
and if it be 9 inches around, I measure 4^ inches on 
the Norway bar (which is of the right length to han- 
dle conveniently), then I take a heat, and with a ful- 
ler let in about 7-8 inch to i inch from each end. I 
next draw down the center to nearly the right thick- 



212 



BLACKSMITHING. 



ness, bend the ends nearly to a square angle, and set 
down with the hammer, and make the ends or cor- 
ners square. I then take a chisel and cut in about 
lys inch or i inch from one edge, for the jaw, leav- 
ing this for the thickest part of the clasp. I then set 




Fig. 185 — Making a Cant-Hook. Showing Method of making Shoulder. 

the remainder down with the set-hammer. When 
both ends are down, I draw to the right length, turn 
and bend to fit the handle. 

For the hook, I use 7-8-inch by J^-inch steel, 14 
inches long. At the end where the hole is, I upset 




Fig. 186 — Showing Method of Setting the Draw. 

to make a shoulder, as shown in Fig. 185 of the illus- 
trations, which prevents the hook from cutting away 
the soft iron of the clasp, and prevents the point of 
the hook from striking the pick. 

I give 4 y-S inches draw as shown by the dotted 



BLACKSMITHING. 



213 



lines A Cy Fig. 185, and to get this exactly every 
time, I make the tool shown in Fig. 186. In mak- 
ing it I take a bar, i foot 6 inches long, i^ inches 
by J^-inch, and bend it 13 inches from A to D. At 




Fig. 187 — Screw Box. 

B, Fig. 186, I weld on a piece of iron, 6 inches long by 
i^-inch, with the edge to the D bar, and previously 
bent to the right shape. I then make the piece By 
Fig. 186, true on the face (along C) with the square 
D. I next measure off from D /\. 7-8 inches to Fy and 
here set a 7-16-inch pin. I make the hook bend and 
lay as shown in the illustration. Fig. 186, being care- 
ful to have the hook true 2X B D. I file to a point 
from the inside of the point. For the bands, the 




Fig. II 



-The Knife. 



first is of i-inch band iron, the two next are of i^ 
inch, and the toe bands are of 2-inch band iron. 
This pick is of 7-8-inch square steel, 10 inches long. 
—By W. W. S. 



214 



ULACKSMITIIING. 



Making Screw Boxes for Cutting Out Wooden 

Screws. 

To make wooden screws by niy plan, first take a 
square piece of steel and with a three-cornered file 
make the thread on all four corners of the steel for 
about two inches. When this is done you will have 
a tap as seen in F'ig. 187. To make the screw box 

Fig. 189— The Tap. 

as shown in ¥i<r, 188, turn a piece of word (apple 
wood is the best), with two handles, and bore a hole 
in the center to the size of the tap with the thread 
off. Then cut a thread in it with the tap and cut 
away the wood at one side to admit the knife. This 
is made as in Ficr. 189 with two screws in it, one in 
the center and the other set. Put the knife in the 



Fig. 190— Piece of Wood used to Secure the Knife in its Place and Admit 

the Tap. 

box so it will match the thread, and screw in over 
it a piece of wood one-quarter of an inch thick 
with a hole in it tlie size of the tap with the 
thread on, as represented in Fig. 190. The box is 
then complete — By H. A. S. 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



2»5 



Mending a Square. 

In this communication I will tell your readers how- 
to mend a square. Very often a good steel square 
is rendered useless by having- the foot or short end 
broken off, as in Fig. 191 of the accompanying illus- 
trations. I then work a piece of good iron into the 



H 



1 1 I. 



1 1 1 1 1 1 1 



1 1 1 1 1 1 ' 



Fig. 191 — Showing the Square and the Piece used in Mending. 



shape shown at A, In Fig. 191, and taking a hack saw, 
I cut a notch in each piece in which the piece A will 
fit tightly. I have a square at hand to ensure ac- 
curacy, and then having my coal well charred, I take 
good clean brass and lay it on. When it begins to 
get hot I put on borax powdered fine — I can't braze 
much without borax. When the brass is all melted 
it Is removed from the fire, allowed to cool, and 



2l6 



BLACKSMITHING. 



when It is cool the surplus brass and Iron are ground 
off, and the square will then be as good as ever. 
Copper is about as good as brass to braze with. 



W 



•| I M I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I I I , I I I I 



Fig. 192— Showing the Square as Mended. 



Fig. 

W.J. 



192 shows the square when finished. — Jjy J. 



Stand for Carriage Bolts. 



From an old buggy shaft, three cheese boxes and 
four strips of wood I made a very handy stand for 
carriage and tire bolts, the general appearance of 
which is afforded by the inclosed sketch, Fig. 193. 
In the center of each box I nailed a square block. 
I put partitions on two sides, and also two partitions 
crossways, In order to make six different sized boxes 
for different sized bolts. I bored a hole through 
the center and slipped the box down over the shaft. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



217 



I fastened it both above and below by nails through 
the shaft. On the outside surface of the boxes I 
fastened four strips, using ordinary felloe strips for 
the purpose, placing them equidistant. Their pur- 



/IK^ 


H 


.. 


xm\ 


1 


O 


2xk 
1 


\ 2Mx 


H 


2>^xH / 



r 



:\ 



Fig. 193— Stand for Carriage Bolts. 

pose was to keep the boxes steady. Below and on 
top I fastened two blocks with holes (bushed) in 
which the pointed ends of the shaft turn. The de- 
vice stands in the corner of the shop and is very 
handy, inasmuch as it easily turns round. Each 



2l8 



BLACKSMITHING. 



compartment in the box is marked on the outside in 
plain figures, thus indicating the size of bolt that it 
contains. — By F. D. F. 

An Improved Crane and Swage Block. 

In the hue of cranes I have somethingf differincf 
from the usual style. It is new, I think, and cer- 
tainly very good. The engraving, Fig. 194, will ex- 



Y 





Fig. 194 — Improved Crane. 



plain It. It can be attached to a post In the most 
convenient position. Mine is hung in thimbles built 



BLACKSMITHING. ^IQ 

in the front of the forge chimney. Next in order 
shall be the swage block. Of all the much abused 
tools in a smith's shop, I think the greatest quantity 
of curses have been bestowed on that patient and 
unoffending tool. I have known the English lan- 
guage riddled, picked and culled for epithets with 
the strongest adjectives to hurl at this useful tool. 
You can hear some of them any time by walking 
across the shop and stubbing your toe against it 
as it lays on the floor, and you need not be afraid 
of hurting it (the swage block I mean). Now, as 
I consigned mine to the scrap heap many years 
ago, I will describe a substitute. Get a cast-Iron 
cone mandril, 7 inch diameter at the top and 10 inch 
at the bottom, with an outside flange at the bottom 
to form a base, and a strong inside one at the top, 
having a 4-inch hole in the top, into which cast or 
wroughtiron collets and swages can be fitted for 
every kind of work, including farmers' and other 
tools. The cone can be made the height of the 
anvil and forge, so as to be right for the crane to 
swing to as easy as the anvil. — By Iron Jack. 

A Cheap Crane for Blacksmiths. 

The accompanying sketch, Fig. 195, of a cheap 
crane for blacksmiths needs but little explanation, for 
any practical man will understand it at a glance. E 
is a round pole with a band on each end and a gud- 
geon and mortise to receive the bar C, which is 30 



220 



BLACKSMITHlNG. 



inches x ^ inch. At A A make holes and put in 
rough pins. Then a part, B, is 34:-round iron, with 




F'is:- 195— Cheap Crane. 

nuts at the top and joint at the bottom. /^ is a small 
sheave, with chain to hold your work, and as you 
turn your work in the fire or on the anvil it revolves. 



BLACKSMITHING. 221 

I am usinor one of these cranes, and have had eleht 
hundred pounds on it. In every case it answers well. 
— By Southern Blacksmith. 

Repairing an Auger. 

I will tell your readers my way of putting a screw 
in an auger. I take the old auger and file a notch in 
it where the old screw was broken off. I do this 
work with the edge of the file, making the notch no 
wider than the old screw was. I then take a 3-square 





Fig. 196 — Repairing an Auger. Showing Notch and Piece to be Fitted 

into it. 

taper file and file the notch wider until it appears as 
2X A in the accompanying illustration. Fig. 196. I 
next take a small piece of steel, forge out the size 
desired for the screw, file the piece " dovetailing," 



222 



BLACK SMITHING. 



as shown at B, and then sh'p It sidewise Into the 
auger. It is put in so it can be driven rather snug. 
When it is fitted it must be brazed. 

Then, commencing inside next to the lip, I file 
with a 3-square file, and boring the thread half way 
around, I then commence at the other lip and file a 
double thread, keeping the two threads side by side 
and even with each other, by fitting first one a little 
and then the other about as much, and so on. By 




Fig, 197 — A Clamp for Holding Countersunk Bolts. 

this means they can be kept true. An auger re- 
paired in this way is just as good as new. It does 
not pay to mend small ones in this way, but It is a 
good plan for large augers, for the operation is sim- 
ple and requires but a short time. — By Ernest. 

A Clamp for Holding Countersunk Boltheads. 

I enclose an illustration, Fig. 197, of a clamp that I 
use in holding countersunk boltheads, while remov- 
ing the taps from the bolts on spring wagon and 



BLACKSMITHING. 223 

buggy felloes. There is no patent on it and it is 
quickly put on and taken off. It is made of 7-16 
inch horseshoe bar with three holes, and has a T 
headed bolt with threads to tighten. The points 
hook over the felloe and the point of the bolt, which 
should be tapering at the point, so it will tighten 
against the bolt without coming in contact with the 
tire. I have seen different devices for the purpose 
but like this the best. It should be made from four 
to five inches long. It will answer the same purpose 
for a large wheel by making it larger and stronger. 
—By W. E. S. 

A Handy Machine for a Blacksmith. 

A useful machine for any blacksmith is made as 
follows : Take a piece of lumber 1^x8 and 6 feet 
long, cut a hole in the middle 2 feet from the end, 
the dimensions of the hole being 2 x 14, take two 
cog wheels from some old fan mill, bolt journal box- 
es for the crank wheel down to the bench on each 
side of the slot and make an emery wheel mandrel 
for the small wheel to work on. The mandrel should 
be of ^-inch iron 12 inches long. Plug up the hole 
in the small wheel and bore a hole for the mandrel, 
having the mandrel square to avoid turning in the 
wheel, then weld on a collar. If you have no lathe 
you can true it up with the hammer and file. Next 
cut a good screw on the end and put your collar on 
the end, which should be about 2 inches, and put on 



224 BLACKSMITHING. 

a small emery wheel ^ inch thick and 8 or lo inches 
in diameter. But first put on a washer of thick 
leather, also another one against the wheel, screw the 
tap up tight and if it does not turn true you can trim 
your leather washer down on one edge and by this 
means get it perfectly true. On the other end of the 
bench you can attach a good pair of hand shears. 
For sharpening drills, cold chisels, and a variety of 
other work, this machine has no equal. — By J. M. 
Wright. 

A Clamp for Framework. 

The accompanying illustration, Fig. 198, represents 
a hand clamp for drawing together framework, such 
as wagon beds, wheelbarrows, etc. 

It is made as follows : 

The bar A is of narrow tooth steel which will not 
bend so easily as iron. It should be five feet long 
by I X ^ inch. i5 is a piece of iron which should 



4 




G 

Fig. 198— A Clamp for Framework. 

be 3 inches high by i}^ wide, welded to the end and 
with a ^-inch hole having good threads in it. C is 
a screw to fit the same. It is made one foot long 
with a crank E which is attached to the end. D is 
a slide to fit over A, and it should have 3 inches 



BLACKSMITHING. 



22 



above it a hole J^ Inch deep to allow the screw C to 
get a good bearing. 7^ is made the same as i?, ex- 
cept that it has a shoulder back of it to keep it from 
leaning too far back, and a set screw Gj at the side, 
to hold it stationary. I use this clamp almost every 
day, and I never saw or heard of one just like it. — By 
V. D. B. 

A Tool for Holding Bolts. 

I send a sketch. Fig. 199, of a tool for holding 
loose bolts while screwing nuts off. To make it, 
take a piece of ^-inch round iron of suitable length, 
draw down oval and tapering about 5 inches, and about 
7 inches from the pointed end drive in a piece of steel, 




Fig. 199— A Tool for Holding Loose Bolts. 

wedge-shaped, weld securely and sharpen like a 
chisel ; one inch is long enough for this. Then five 
inches from the end turn it down at right angles, 
edgewise, and then curl to the left as shown in the il- 
lustration. This is better than all the patented tools 
for this purpose. — By Edwin Cliftcwst. 



226 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



A Hint About Callipers. 

Let me give some of your young readers a hint 
how to chamfer off the ends of their callipers from 
the outside and slightly round them across as in Fig. 
200, and not make them rounding as in Fig. 201, 





Fig. 200— Right way to Shape Fig. 201 — Wrong way to Shape 
Calliper Ends. Calliper Ends. 

The outer points will always touch at the same point 
no matter what the diameter of the work. If round- 
ing they will touch, for small work, at A, A, and for 
large work at B, B. — By Shafting. 



Vise Attachment. 

I inclose a paper model of a device that I am using 
for holdincr beveled ed^e iron for filino-. It is also 

o »> <_> 

useful for chamfering fiat iron. In use it is to be 
screwed in a large vise. The spring shown in the cut, 
Fig. 202, throws the jaws apart when the vise is re- 
leased. I think many of your readers will find this 
idea useful; and as it is one that every blacksmith can 



lU.ACKSMITIHNG. 



22 7 



put Into practical operation, I commend it to the at- 
entlon of my fellow craftsmen. — By E. M. B. 

Note. — The accompanying- engraving- has been 
made from the paper model inclosed in our corres- 




Fig. 202 — Vise Attachment. 

pondent's letter, and, we believe, correctly represents 
his idea. As he did not show how the sprlnc)* was 
attached, or In what form it was to be made, we have 
nothing to govern us In this particular. — Ed. 

Bolt Set 

We have been using a tool in this community for 
a long time, which can be applied to wheels very 




Fig. 203 — Bolt Set. 

quickly. Any blacksmith who can make a pair of 
tongs can produce it. It is made of good steel, A in 



228 



BLACKSMITH I NO. 



the engraving being chisel-pointed and hardened, so 
that It can be set Into the head of boh, when It is 
necessary, by a slight rap with the hammer. — By W. 
H.S. 

A Home-Made Lathe. 

The accompanying drawings represent a turning 
lathe that I have been using for some time and find 
very convenient, not only In turning, but also in 
drilling small holes. Fig. 204 is a side view of the 
head stock, and Figs. 205 and 206 show the front 
and back ends of Fig. 204. In beginning to make 




/} a h 

Fig. 204 — Side View of the Head Stock. 

the lathe, I take a piece of flat iron 12 inches long, 
3 inches wide and y^ Inch thick, and cut 3 Inches 
at each end, tapering down to ij^^ Inches, as shown 
at a. Fig. 206. I then turn 3 Inches of the same 
ends up at right angles, as at a, Fig. 204, and drill 



BLACKSMiTHING. 



^29 



two ^-inch holes at b to bolt the head stock. The 
head stock is braced at c to prevent the springincr of 



Fig. 205— Front End of the Head Stock. 

the back end of the frame, as all the end pressure 
comes on that end. I next drill a ^-inch hole 
throuo^h the back end and 2^ Inches from the bot- 





Fig. 206— Back End of the Headstock. 

tom, tty as shown in Fig. 206 at b, and fit to ^ a piece 
of round iron i V^ inches loner, with one end coun- 



•230 



BLACKSMITHiNG. 



tersunk as in Fig. 207 at a. This is to fit the spindle 
and take up the wear. To prevent this piece from 
coming out, I double a piece over the end at a, Fig. 




@ 



Fig. 207 — Showing the Piece to be Attached to the Spindle. 

205. This piece is i^ hy \y^ inches, with a ^-inch 
hole, as shown at a, Fig. 208. It has a ^-inch set 
screw at b. This piece goes over the end a, Fig. 206, 
and the piece shown in Fig. 207 goes through the 
^-inch hole, and the set screw bears on the head 
stock. By turning up the set-screw the piece. Fig. 
207, can be clamped at any place desired, thus form- 
ing the bearing for that end. The front end has 





Fig. 208— Showing the Piece used to Secure in Position the Part Shown 

in Fig. 207. 

a place cut out at the center, ij^ by i inch, to re- 
ceive the boxes. The edges at a, Fig. 205, are 
beveled to a V, so the two boxes will slide down and 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



231 



fit tightly. The boxes are i}4 ^ ^}i ^ % inch. 
With the ends cut out to fit the V shown in Fig. 205 



TOP OF BOX 



o 



O CAPO 



I 



o 



> 




BOXES 
Fig. 209— Showing the Boxes and Plate. 

at a, I next drill in each prong at d, cut a thread and 
fit a bolt to clamp the boxes. C, in Fig. 209, is the 




SPINDLE 



^ 



WOOD 



Fig. 210 — The Spindle. 



plate that goes over the boxes. The bolts go through 
the plate into d. Fig. 205. I put the boxes In, placing a 



2.^2 



BLACKSMITH ING. 





Fig. 211 — The Face Plate. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



^33 



thin piece of pasteboard between them, and then 
clamp them tightly and drill a ^-inch hole through 



Fig. 212— Side View of the Tail Stock. 

them at C. Composition is the best material for the 
boxes. 

The spindle must be turned, for it could not be 
filed true enough to run well. Fig. 210 repre- 
sents the shape. The end a should fit into Fig. 207 




Fig. 213— End View of the Tail Stock. 

at a. The bearing at the other end is at by ^ inch 
in diameter, c is turned down a little smaller, and a 



^34 BLACKSMiTHlNG. 

thread cut on it so as to screw on the face plate. 
The spur center goes into the spindle with a taper. 
You can shrink a flange on the spindle at d, and bolt 
the pulley to that. The face plate needs no descrip- 
tion. A glance at Fig. 211 will give anyone a clear 
idea of it. It might be 5 inches in diameter, and it 
would answer well enough if it were 3 inches only. 
The tail stock is of the same dimensions of the head 
stock, that is, 3 inches wide, 6 inches long, and 3 




o 

o 



Fig. 214 — Back End of the Tail Stock. 

inches high. Fig. 212 is a side view of the tail stock; 
Figs. 213 and 214, end views; in Fig. 215 is shown 
a piece i^ inches by 9 inches by J^ inch thick, with 
i^ inches of both ends turned at right angles to a. 
This goes over the ends of Fig. 212 at ^. 

To clamp the arbor, drill a ^-inch hole 'in both 
ends of Figs. 213 and 214, 3j^ inches in front of ay 
and going also through the ends of the piece shown 
in Fie. 216 at ^. This hole must match the holes in 



BLACKSMITHING. 235 

s. 213 and 114. The purpose of the arrangement 








1 


LU 
> 

UJ 
D 

CO 

1 




i 








o 






en 
C 

W 

J3 



o 



O 
<L> 

H 



bo 




c 

'5 

O 

C 

o 
CO 



-a 
5 

"a, 
CO 



ai 
H 

bn 
c 



o 

en 
I 



is to hold the arbor and keep the work from coming 



n^ 



BLacksmithing. 



out of the lathe. The set-screw shown in Fig. 215 
bears on A, Fig. 212. When the screw is turned, 
it will keep the arbor from slipping. Fig. 214 has a 
^-inch hole with a thread cut in it. There must be 




Fig. 217 — Showing the Center. 

another hole y^ inch in diameter, as shown in the 
engraving. The arbor is 9 inches long, ^ inch in 
diameter, with one-fourth of one end turned down to 
yi inch diameter, as shown in Fig. 219. The center 
goes in the end with a taper as shown in Fig. 217. 
The center has a place left square to receive a wrench 
in order to take it out of the arbor. Fig. 218 is a 




Fig. 218 — Showing the Piece Riveted to the Arbor. 

piece 2^ X i^^ inches with three holes in it, one ^ 
inch, one z/^ inch, and the other y^ inch. These 
holes should correspond with the three holes in Fig. 
214. Fig. 218 is riveted to the arbor, which is 



BLACKSMITHING. 237 

worked with a screw. The guIde-pIn Is fastened to 



T3 
C 

'a. 

CO 

H 

<u 

H 
I 

ON 



© 



the plate and goes through the smallest hole In the 



2^8 BLACKSMITHING. 



O 



piece Fig. 214. Fig. 220 is a hand wheel which fits 
on to a very tight nut. To fasten it, there must be 
work in the plate, so that the screw can be turned in 
and out. In turning the screw so, you carry the 
arbor with it. The rest is a flat piece of iron % 
inch thick, 8 inches long and 3 inches wide, with 2 




Fig. 220— The Hand Wheel, 

inches of one end bent at right angles. There must 
be two holes near the end, so a piece of wood can be 
bolted on for turninor different leneths. To fasten 
the rest to the bed cut a hole the size of the bolt, 4 
inches long, in the bottom of the rest to let it slide 
to and from the work. — By H. A. Seavey. 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Blacksmiths' Shears. 

I enclose a sketch, Fig. 221, of a pair of shears to 
be used In the square hole of the anvil. They are 
very useful and cheap. Any blacksmith can make 
them. Use good steel and make the blades eight 
Inches lono-, measurlnor from the rivet. Make the 




Fig. 221 — Blacksmiths' Shears. 

short blade with a crook, as shown in the illustration, 
to go In the anvil, and have the long blade extend 
back about two and a half feet to serve as a handle. 
With these shears I can cut quarter-Inch iron with 
ease and cut steel when It Is hot. — By A. J. T. 

Shear for Cutting Round and Square Rods. 

I would like to give a description of a shear for 
cutting round and square Iron constructed by me. 
The inclosed sketch. Fig. 222, is an attempt to rep- 
resent it. The lower member of the shear Is a bar 



240 



BLACKSMITIIING. 



an Inch thick, three inches wide and fourteen inches 
long, and is furnished with a steel face at that part 
where the cutting is done. The upper member is of 
the same general description, except that it is seven- 
teen inches long. The lower blade is fastened to the 
bench at the back part by cleats, as shown in the 
drawing. A guide for the upper blade, just wide 




Fig. 222 — Shear for Cutting Round and Square Rods. 

enough in the opening to allow of easy play, is made 
to serve a like purpose for the front part. The han- 
dle of the shear is hinged to the lower blade, and is 
connected also with the upper one by the link shown 
in the sketch. The handle is five feet Iouq- and is 
one by three inches in size down to a taper. Three 
holes are provided in it for connecting the link 



BLACKSMITHING. 



241 



attached to the upper blade, thus opening the shear 
more or less as may be required. With this shear I 
can cut round or square iron up to seven-eighths in 
size. — By Southern Blacksmith. 

Cheap Shears for Blacksmiths' Use. 

1 inclose a sketch, Fig. 223, of a cheap shears for 
smiths' use, and submit the following directions for 




Fig. 223 — Cheap Shears for Blacksmiths. 

making : The under jaw, D, should be 10 Inches long, 
3 inches wide and i inch thick. The upper jaw must 
be 13 inches long, but otherwise the same as the 
lower jaw, except where it couples with the latter. 
Then it must be forged by the dotted lines. The 
coupling at E is made with a ^^-inch cast-steel bolt, 
which takes a brace on each side of the shears, 



242 BLACKSMITHING. 

this brace taking one half-Inch bolt at the foot 
through the bench. The braces at the other end 
take two bolts through the bench. That next to the 
lower jaw takes two half-Inch rivets through the same 
and a ^-Inch cast-steel bolt at the top through the 
the cam. The upper jaw is brought up by two strips 
of sole leather connected to the cam A by two bolts. 
The two braces, /^ (only one of which is shown in 
the cut), are ^-inch round and take a ^ bolt at the 
foot. The material for jaws should be 5/8 x 3 inch 
Swede's iron with the same amount of cast steel or 
English blister laid on the cutting side, and when 
finished should have just bevel enough to give a good 
edge. E and B are made of Swede's iron ^ x 3 
inches. The cam, A, is the same thickness as the jaw 
and finished with i inch round for a lever 3 feet long. 
The jaws should be brought to a low straw color in 
tempering. The cam must be finished smooth and 
the bearings kept well oiled. 

Then you have a pair of shears at a nominal cost 
that will last a lifetime and work better than most of 
the shears in the market. It is a good plan to use a 
guard with the shears ; let It bolt on to the bench, 
rising z/^ of an Inch above the edge of the lower pair, 
and then run parallel with the jaw to the other end, 
where it is secured by another bolt. The brace, B, 
which rivets to lower jaw, must have an offset of one 
inch to come flush with the inside of the jaw. — By 
J. M. W. 



BLACKSMITHING. 



Blacksmiths' Shears. 



243 



I send a sketch, Fig. 224, of shears made *by my- 
self. They are cheap and I have found them very 
convenient. The engraving from my design re- 
quires no explanation. A glance at it will be suffi- 
cient for any smith who understands his trade. I 




Fig. 224 — Blacksmith's Shears. 

will, however, give some of the dimensions. A is 
I y^ round, B gx^ and C 6^4 x ^ inch. The main 
point in making is to get the edges to come together 
as in the common shears. — By J. J. 



Shears for the Anvil. 

I send you a sketch. Fig. 225, of a very handy tool, 
a pair of shears for the anvil. Any blacksmith that 
understand^ his trade can make them. They are 



244 



BLACKSMITHING. 



good for trimming cultivator shovels when they 
have just been painted and they will take the place 
of a helper on many jobs where striking is needed. 
The cutting jaws are 4 inches long, 3 inches wide 




Fig. 225 — Shears for the Anvil. 

and ^ inch thick, and bevel to the edge and to the 
back. One jaw has a square hole for a square 
shoulder bolt. The handles are two feet long. I 
use them on hot iron or steel and they cut sheet iron 
co\d.—By G. W. P. 



CHAPTER IX. 

EMERY WHEELS AND GRINDSTONES. 

Emery Wheels. 

I have polishing wheels in daily usC; and put the 
emery on them with good glue. The way I employ 
the glue is as follows : I heat it to the proper de- 
gree, and then with a brush I cover from six to eight 
inches of the wheel with it. Then I put the emery 
on the covered part, and with a roller run over it so 
as to pass the emery down into the glue. I then 
apply the glue for another six or eight inches and 
repeat the same operation. I keep on in this man- 
ner until I get around the wheel. I then lay it away 
for twenty-four hours to dry, after which time it is 
ready for use. 

In making emery wheels, nothing but the best 
glue is satisfactory for use. Poor glue is worse 
than nothing. Care must always be taken to keep 
oil and grease of all kinds from getting on the wheel. 
I have had some trouble with wheels of this general 
character, but I have always found the fault to be 
poor glue or oil that squirted from the shafting on 
the wheel. I make it a rule always to wash and 
clean the wheels in warm water when I find them 



246 BLACKSMITHING. 

greasy, and then let them dry, and put the emery on 
anew as above described. By following this plan I 
have always met with good results. No glue, how- 
ever good, will hold emery or other parts together 
when the surfaces to which it is applied are oily or 
greasy. — By H. R. H. 

Making an Emery Wheel. 

It will not pay to put emery on wooden wheels 
because it flies off in pieces. I know this from ex- 
perience. It is better to use felt that is made for 
the purpose. I use felt about 4 inches wide and i 
inch thick. I make a wooden wheel of about 12 
inches diameter and 4 inches face and nail the felt 
on it with shincrle nails at intervals of i V^ inches. I 
then drive the nails half way through the felt by 
means of a punch, spread glue over the felt and roll 
the wheel in emery. This makes a good wheel for 
finishing off. — By " Shovels." 

How to Make Small Polishing or Grinding Wheels. 

The general method of making small polishing or 
grinding wheels is to glue together pieces of wood, 
making a rough wheel, which, when dry, is put upon 
a spindle or mandrel and turned to the required 
shape. The periphery is covered with leather, 
coated with glue and rolled in emery until a consid- 
erable portion adheres to the glue-covered surface. 

Wheels of this character will wear but a short 



BLACKSMITHING. 247 

time before the coating process must be repeated to 
form a new abrasive surface. They can scarcely be 
called grinding-wheels, and are more properly 
termed polishing wheels, and are used but very little 
except to produce a polished or finished surface. 
What are termed grinding-wheels, or '' hard-wheels," 
are formed of emery in combination with some plas- 
tic mass that is preserved in moulds, in course of 
time becoming very hard like a grindstone. 

If the mechanic desires a small grinding-wheel of 
this character, and cannot readily obtain one, he can 
make a very good substitute himself. To do this, 
procure a block of brass or cast iron, in which make 
a recess of the same diameter, but a little deeper 
than the desired thickness of the wheel. Make a hole 
centrally to the diameter of the recess and extend- 
ing through the block, corresponding in size to the 
spindle on which the wheel is to be used. In this 
hole fit a strong bolt with one end threaded and a 
stout head on the other end. On the threaded end 
fit a nut. Make a thick washer that will fit pretty 
tight on the bolt, and at the same time fill the recess 
in the block. Make a follower of the same size that 
will fit In the same manner. 

The materials for the wheels are glue and good 
emery. Make the glue thin, as for use on wood, and 
thicken with emery, and keep hot to be worked. 
When ready to make the wheels, oil the recess or 
mould as well as the washer and follower. This 



248 - BLACKSMITHING. 

will prevent the hot mass from adhering to these 
parts. Put the washer at the bottom of the mould. 
Insert the bolt in the hole with the head at the bot- 
tom side of the block. Put in the hot glue and 
emery, well mixed together, spread it evenly in the 
mould, almost 'filling it. Put the follower on the 
bolt, letting it enter the mould and rest upon the 
glue and emery ; then put on the nut and screw it 
down tight with a wrench. The mass is compressed 
according to the force employed. 

If the wheel be small and thin it will cool and 
harden in a few minutes so that it can be removed. 
Take off the nut and follower and drive out the bolt, 
and if the recess be properly made a blow with a 
hammer on the bottom of the block will expel the 
wheel and washer. 

In place of a recess cut in a block of metal, a 
ring may be used, care being taken to place it so 
that the bolt will be central, to insure equal radius 
on all sides. 

Oiling the parts prevents the glue and emery from 
sticking. The washer put in the bottom of the 
mould facilitates the removal of the soft wheel, and 
also tends to prevent it from injury while being re- 
moved. The wheels must be dried in a warm place 
before being used, and must be kept away from 
moisture. 

Above the size of two or three inches it would be 
hardly advisable to attempt making this kind of wheel. 



BLACKSMITHING. 249 

Common shellac may be used in place of glue, but 
the objections to its employment are the greater 
cost, difficulty to mix with emery, and it is also more 
difficult to put in the mould. It has the advantage 
over the glue and emery wheel, inasmuch as it is 
proof against moisture or water. For a small, cheap 
wheel, and one that can be readily made, the one 
made of glue and emery is preferable. — By W. B. 

Making an Emery Wheel. 

Having a few articles to polish I thought I would 
make an emery wheel. After turning my truck and 
fastening it to the arbor I tried several times to 
elue the leather to the truck or wheel and failed. 
The splice was what bothered me most. Looking 




Fig. 226 — Making an Emery Wheel". 

around for a way out of this difficulty, I came across 
an old pair of woolen or felt boots such as are worn 
by loggers. I took the leg of one of these boots, 



250 BLACKSMITHING. 

cut off a ring the width of my truck, glued it on the 
truck and turned it off as well as I could. I held a 
hot iron over it until it was very smooth, and then 
covered it with glue. I next heated emery as hot 
as I thought necessary, spread it on a board and 
rolled the truck in it and pounded it in. When it 
was dry I gave it another coat and then another. 
Three coats are enough, at least they were sufficient 
for the wheel I am using. A glance at the accom- 
panying engraving, Fig. 226, will give anyone a fair 
idea of how the job should be done. — By H. A. 
Seavey. 

Something About Grindstones and Grinding Tools. 

In the matter of the average grindstone, its use 
and misuse, I would state that the result of my ob- 
servation and experience is : 

First — It is too small in diameter. Second — It is 
too broad-faced. Third — It is not properly speed- 
ed. Fourth — It is not properly cared for. Fifth — 
It is not properly used. 

Stones should be narrow-faced to secure a greater 
proportion between that which is worn from its sur- 
face by useful work and that which is removed by 
the truing device. It is patent to every practical 
mechanic that the portion of a stone most in use is a 
very narrow line at each corner, and the reason for 
this is plain when we consider that after a tool is 
once properly shaped the workman will endeavor to 



BLACKSMITHlNG. ^5 1 

confine his grinding to the top or cutting-face of the 
tool, leaving the sides and clearance angles intact, if 
possible, and to do this, keeping in mind the desired 
cutting-lip, he must have recourse to the corners to 
secure the proper inclination of the tool for that re- 
sult. So it comes about that the corners are rapidly 
worn rounding. 

It Is a matter of experience that the faster a stone 
runs the faster it does its work and the longer it re- 
mains in working shape. But they are weak, and if 
run too rapidly, have an uncomfortable habit of dis- 
integrating themselves. Water has to be used for 
the two-fold purpose of keeping the tools cool, and 
the stone clean and free from glaze, but water has a 
decided tendency to disassociate itself from a stone 
that capers around too lively. So we are compelled 
to reduce the speed to the fastest possible, compati- 
ble with safety and freedom from a shower bath. 
Now, of all the inconsistencies that exist in modern 
machine-shop practice, I think that the running of 
the average grindstone is the most pronounced, be- 
cause it has not the adjunct of a variable speed due 
to the losses of diameter. 

In regard to the choice, care and use of a stone, I 
would discourse as follows : The desiderata in the 
selection of a stone are, that it should cut fast, 
should not glaze, and should remain true. To se- 
cure the cutting and anti-glazing qualities — for they 
are associated — a stone should be close and sharp- 



2 $2 BLAClCSMItHINa 

grained, and not too firmly cemented or hard. It 
must be just soft enough to slowly abrade under the 
mark ; such abrasion constantly brings new cutting 
points into prominence, and prevents the lodgment 
of the abraded particles of steel upon the stone, 
which would finally result in glazing. For the 
proper maintenance of its truth, it is essential that 
the stone be homogeneous, as uneven hardness 
m7is^ result in uneven wear. The condition of 
homogeneity is one that cannot exist in a natural 
stone, but ought reasonably to be expected in an 
artificial one, and I believe th?t the grindstone of 
the future will be manufactured — not quarried. 

To get the best results from a stone filling the 
above requirements, it should be hung in a substan- 
tial frame, properly balanced, supplied with c/ea7i 
water, never allowed to stand immersed, because 
that softens locally and thus throws it out of bal- 
ance. Therefore, I say that the average stone is 
not properly cared for' and used, because these con- 
ditions for well-being are rarely met. 

For ordinary tool-grinding, I would recommend 
that the "front" side of the stone be used, not be- 
cause better work can be done there ; but be- 
cause it can usually be done there faster ; and that 
it be fitted with an adjustable narrow-edged rest, 
used close to the stone, and extending around the 
sides toward the center about two inches. Such a 
rest enables one to incline his tool in any possible 



BLACKSMITHING. 253 

direction, and hold it firmly with adequate pressure, 
while running small risk of the dreaded '* dig." 

In all sorts of tool-grinding, my experience tells 
me that the cutting edge of a tool should always be 
toward the approaching side of the stone or wheel. 
— Ben Adriance, in American Machinist. 

Hanging a Grindstone. 

To hang a grindstone on its axle so as to keep it 
from wabbling from side to side requires great skill. 
The hole should be at least three-eighths or one- 
half inch larger than the axle and both axle and hole 
square. Then make double wedges for each of the 
four sides of the square, all alike and thin enough 
so that one wedge from each side will reach clear 
through the hole. Drive the wedges from each side. 
If the hole throuo^h the stone is true the wedees will 
tighten the stone true. If the hole is not at right 
angles to the piano of the stone it must be made so 
or the wedge must be altered in the taper to meet 
the irregularity of the hole. 

Device for Fastening a Grindstone. 

The device, a sketch of which I send you here- 
with, is very simple and effective for fastening a 
grindstone. The illustration, Fig. 227, shows the 
method so well that only a brief description appears 
to be necessary. Almost any mechanic will see at a 



254 



BLACKSMITHING. 



glance that the tightening of the screws or bolts 
(either can be used, according to the size of the 




Fig. 227 — Device for Fastening a Grindstone, as described by " H. G. S." 

grindstone), as shown in the engraving, cannot fail 
to hold the stone securely upon the shaft. — By H. G. 
S. 

Note. — It was not thought necessary to show the 
device of our correspondent attached to the grind- 
stone frame, because that is a simple matter which 
probably every blacksmith or wheelwright under- 
stands thoroughly. The stone can be set true by 



BLACKSMITHING. 255 

loosening or tightening the opposite screws or bolts. 
—Ed. 

Mounting a Grindstone. 

I send you some illustrations representing a con- 
venient method of mounting a grindstone. The 




Fig. 228 — Mounting a Grindstone. End View of the Mounting Flange. 

casting will cost about 50 cents for a 30-inch stone. 
Anyone can make the pattern and core box. A in 
Fig. 228 of the engraving annexed, is a cast-iron 
flange, ^^<5^ are set-screws tapped into the flange 
and impinging on the square bar, which is turned up 



256 



BLACKSMITHING. 



with gudgeons, and will constitute the axis of the 
grindstone. Top holes corresponding to those 




Fig. 229 — Sectional View of the Flange. 



marked C in the flange are drilled through the stone 
and a flange like A is bolted to each side of the 



BLACKSMITHING. 257 

Stone. Fig. 229 is a sectional view of the flange. 
By slacking and setting the screws b the stone can 
be made true to a hair. — By J. H. S. 

How to Make a Polishing Machine. 

An emery wheel is a good thing for every smith 
to have about his shop, for burnishing axles, chisels, 
knives, and a thousand things that should be kept 
bright. But owing to the high price of wheels, 
together with the fact that few shops have any steam 
or water power to run them, but very few are used. 

Now any smith can get up a rig for polishing that 
will answer every purpose and cost very little. First 
make a driving wheel, as shown in the accompanying 
illustration, Fig. 230, 2^ feet in diameter by 4 to 6 
inches in thickness. It can be made with arms, or 
solid, by nailing together several thicknesses of 
boards. Hang it in a frame as you would a grind- 
stone. Put upon one end of the crank a balance 
wheel of not less than 50 lbs. weight and attach the 
other end to the foot piece by a rod ; or, what is 
better, a piece of hard wood, which will not wear on 
the crank. Bolt two pieces of hardwood board, 4 x 
8 and i inch in thickness, upon the inside of the 
frame. Cut a slot at the wide end to go astride of 
the crank ; also, one at the narrow end to receive the 
spindle of the emery wheel. The emery wheel 
should be some 10 or 12 inches in diameter, by 3 
inches in thickness, with a small pulley bolted upon 



258 BLACKSMITHING. 

one side for the belt. Now, put on the belt, apply 
the foot power, and turn the emery wheel as true as 
possible with a sharp tool. Then cover it with sole 
leather. The leather should be well soaked in hot 




Fig. 230 — A Polishing Machine. 

water and pegged on wet ; one row of pegs at the 
edges, one inch apart, will be sufficient. After the 
leather is put on, fix a rest and true it again as 
before. 

To emery the w^heel, make a box 2l4 feet long 



BLACKSMITHING. 259 

and a little wider than the wheel, in which to put the 
emery. After putting on a coat of thin glue with a 
brush, roll the wheel in the box and the coating is 
done at once. It should stand a few hours before 
using. Whenever the wheel gets smooth and doesn't 
cut, apply another coating as before. After several 
coatings have been put on the old emery should be 
removed, which can be done by soaking in hot water 
and scraping with a knife or piece of glass. It is a 
good thing to have two wheels, one for coarse and 
the other for fine emery. I have a rig which I made 
in this way ten years ago and it works like a charm. 
The expense of running it is next to nothing: try it 
and you will not be without one. — By W. H. Ball. 



END OF VOL. II. 



INDEX. 



Auger, to repair 199, 221 

Blacksmiths' shears 239 

Bolt clippers. . . 59, 62, 64, 68, 74, 76 

Bolt clipper, to make 207 

Bolt cutter 65 

Bolt holder 210 

Bolt set... 227 

Bolt trimmer, to make 204 

Bolts, stand for 216 

Callipers, hint about 226 

Candle holder, to make 202 

Cant hook 211 

Cheap shears for blacksmiths.. 241 

Chisel and chisel-shaped tools. 78 

Chisel, chipping loi 

Chisel, cow mouth 94 

Chisel, flat 79 

Chisels, broad 81 

Chisels (cold), how to make. . . 105 

Chisels (cold), to forge 108 

Chisels, errors in grinding. . . .86, 87 

Chisels for brass 83 

Chisels, improper shapes 88 

Chisels, to grind 82 

Clamp for countersinks 222 

Clamp for frame work 224 

Clincher, to make 209 

Crane 218, 219 

Dies, attachment for 181 

Drifts and drifting 132 

Drill and counter sink 121 

Drill, Chinese 119 

Drill for bench 112 

Drill, handy 122 

Drill, home-made 124 

Drill press, simple 116 

Drill press, to make 109 

Drill (small), to make 116 

Drills, hints about 128 



Drills, remedy for squeaking. 

Drills (stone), to make 

Drilling a chilled mold board 

Diilling glass . . . . 

Drilling, holding bars in. . . . 
Drilling in blacksmith shop. . 



Emery wheels 

Emery wheel, making an. . . 246, 

Fullering, principles of ^ 



Grinding wheels, how to make 

Grinding tools, something 
about 

Grindstone, device for fasten- 
ing 

Grindstone, hanging a 

Grindstone, mounting 

Grindstones, something about 



118 
127 
117 
118 
117 
no 

245 
249 

137 
246 
250 

253 
253 
255 
250 



Hanging a grindstone 253 

Hardy, to make 209 

Iron 3, 13 

Iron, crystallization of 11 

Iron, strength of 9 

Iron, to cold hammer 54 

Iron, to test 35 

Iron work (wrought) 19 



Lathe, home-made, 



228 



Machine for blacksmith 223 

Making an emery wheel. . .246, 249 

Mounting a grindstone 255 

Nippers, cut 62 

Polishing machine, how to 

make 257 

Polishing wheels, how to make 246 



262 



INDEX. 



Reamer, a cheap 175 

Rivet clipper 59, 69, 71, 76 

Rivets, tool to make 72, 73 

Screw boxes, to make 214 

Screw stock dies, attachment 

for 181 

Shears, blacksmiths' 239 

Shears, cheap 241 

Shear for cutting round and 

square rods 239 

Shears for the anvil 243 

Spike-bar, to make 206 

Spring clips, to make 189 

Square, to mend. 215 

Square (tony), to make 206 

Steel 3. 13 

Steel and iron, to upset 21 

Steel (burnt), to restore 54 

Steel, different kinds of 53 

Steal-hardening 46 

Steel, strength of 9 

Steel, to heat 30 

Steel, to select 53 

Steel, to test 35 

Steels, treatment of 41. 43 

Steel, work on 45 

Swage block 146, 218 

Swage block, stand for 151 

Swages '. • • • 141 

Swaging, rules for 149 



Vise attachment *....... 226 

Vise-jaws .... 188 

Vise, to mend 1 74 

Tools (edge), principles on 

which they operate 153 

Tool for holding bolts 225 

Tools for holding bolts in a 

vise. 193 

Tools, for lathe, shape of.... 176 

Tool for making dash heels. . . 195 
Tool for making single tree 

clips 194 

Tool for pulling on felloes... 208 
Tool for putting yokes on 

clips 202 

Tool for wagon clips 185 

Tool, handy 187 

Tool (handy) for marking joints 189 
Tool (handy) for finishing 

seat rails 201 

Tools, hints on care of 154 

Tool, labor-saving 205 

Tools, names of ,... 157 

Tools, screw threading 183 

Wheels, emery 245 

Wrenches 157 

Wrench (monkey), attachment 

for 200 



Patent Adjus table "DOPLEX " Die Stock. 

*^ fllMlllllllWi>Jui<ijikj,;hi> iliifnilhlilliilllhlllTiliiiiiiimilillllllllhllllllllillllJk^llMIIIIllllilDl 



Warranted to do MORE 
and BKTTER work than 
any other Die made. 




No wrenches or screw 
driver for any adjust- 
ment. Dies easily sharp- 
ened on a grindstone. 



HART MANF'G CO., Cleveland, Ohio. 



PRACTICAL BLACKSMITHING 




Is a new book compiled from the practical articles which have appeared from time t® time 
during the last few years in the columns of "The Blacksmith and Wheelwright." 

Volume I. relates to Ancient BlacUsniitlling-, and gives illustrations 
with descriptions of some ancient tools; te. Is how Hammers SllOUld Be Made; 
gives Plans of BlacksmitbS* Shops, and a variety of plans of KorgeS, 
and the best way to build CllituneyS. Illustrations and descriptions of a great variety of 
Xong^s, Hammers, Punches and Cold Chisels are given. 

Two prize articles on BlackSmitllS* XoolS, which have appeared in " The 
Blacksmith and Wheelwright," are printed in full. 

There are five chapters in the book, each complete in itself. 

Chapter I. treats of Ancient and Modern Hammers. Chapter II. 
Ancient Tools. Chapter III. Chimneys, Forges, F'ires, Shop 
Plans, IJVork Benches, etc. Chapter IV. Anvils and Anvil Tools. 
Chapter V. Blacksmiths* Tools. 

There is no book like it in the language: in fact, a work on blacksmithing has never before 
been published in this or any other country. As the publisher has decided to offer the work 
at a low price, with a view of lar^^e sales, the book is likely to find its way into the hands of 
all good blacksmiths wherever located. It is bound in extra cloth, with ink side stamp and 
gold back, and will be sent post-paid to any part of the country on receipt of price, 
$r.OO. Address, 

M. T. RICHARDSON, PiiWislier, 

84 and 86 Reade Street, New York. 



JUST PUBLISHED. 



Tie Practical HDrsfi-acr. 




We have just completed a 
book on horseshoeing, compiled 
from the practical articles which 
have appenred in thf columns of 

♦"I" lie B1»cU smith 
and Wlieel^vrijjlit" 

during the past ft-w years. 
Altogether it is the 

MOST IMPORTANT 



Work on 



cloth, with 
price, One 



Horse-Shoeing 

ever published, and contains, in 
addition to illustrations of proper 
shapes of shoes for different 
diseases of the feet, engravings 
and d script ons of the various 
methods of Shoeing Vicious 
and Uyly Sorne.s or Mules. 

great \ ariety of Tools suitable 
and useful in horseshoeing are 
de.-cribed ana illustrated. 

It tells how to shoe horses to 
Cure Contraction, to Pre- 
vent Interfering or Over- 
reacJiing. It tells the best 
method of Treating Corns — 
whether Cold or Hot Fitting 
is best. A great variety of other 
in formation not at present ob- 
tainable elsewhere will be found 
in if; pages. 

I'he book is bound in extra 
ink side stamp and gold back, and will be sent to any address on receipt of the 
Dollar, A..dress, 

M. T. niCHARDSOlT, Publisher, 

84 & 86 Reads St., Mew York. 



Ht-W W@tj M^f'g C@ 

JANESVILLE, WIS. 



•» 




COMBINED PUNCH AND SHEAR, for heavy work. Cuts flat Bar K by 4, ^ by 3, 
% by 2, 1 iuch round or less. Also cuts Plow Steel % by 6. Punches 14 inch thick— all 
without any change. Three sets of knives and one punch all independent of each other. 
Weight, 650 pounds. Punches lo center of S inches. Price, $85.00. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

Hanfl ant Belt Poier PiiacMi M Slearii lacliiiiery 

For Blacksmiths, Carriage and Wagon Makers, 
Agricultural Implement and Plow Makers. 



THE BEST KNOWN FH X FOR WELDING 




Send fcr Price-List and Circulars to 

Ttie Clierry Heat f elding 

COMPOUND CO., 

545 to 549 West 221 Street, 

NEW YORK, N. Y. 



AND MALLEABLE IKOiN TO STEEL, 



A one poit7td tin sent by i7iail on re- 
ceipt of 40 cenis. 



Root's 

New 

Acme 

Hand 

Blower 



Root's 

New 

Acme 

Portable 

Forge 




Will do enough 
more work and 
save more coal 
thin any fan 
or bellows to 
pay for itself 
in a short time 



Will last as 
long as a half- 
dozen Forges 
of any other 
make, and 
twice as much 

work can be 
turned out. 



Root's New 
Acme Fire-Bed 
and Tuyere. 

P. H. & F. M. ROOTS CO., 



A Perfect Fire- 
Bed cast in one 
piece. Cinders 
will not stick 
to it. 

Manufacturers, 

XISTJD. 



S. S. TOWNSEND, Gen. Agent, > 
COOKE A CO., Selling Ageuts, / 



22 Cortlandt Street, 
Ne>y lork. 



S. D. KIMBARK, 

Michigan Ave. and Lake St., CHICAGO, ILL., 

JOBBER OF 

Blacksmiths' Tools and Supplies, 

OB" EVERY DESCRIPTION. 






BOYHTOU a PLUMMER, 

WORCESTER, MASS., 

MANUFACTURERS OP 

Blacksmith Drirs, Bolt Guttersjire Benders 

Tire Shrinkers, and Tools adapted to 

the Blacksmith & Carriage Trade. 

SBND JPOJR CA^TA^LOGUB. 




The Black Giant Shear, Dpset and Punch. 




THE MOST SUCCESSFUL 



COMBINATION PUNCH, SHEAR AND UPSET 

EVER OFFERED THE PUBLIC. 



In Universal Use from Maine to Australia. 



EvEKY Machine fili.y tested before leaving the factory. 
Main bearings are chilled, steel gibs in back of flide take up all 
wear, and WK guarantkk iheni to lut =4 in. square and round iron 
and 3 by ^ inch flat bars. They will luinch iron % thick, and will 
p iich a H inch hole in boiler plate 5-16 thick, 6 inches from the 
edge. Has sell-adjusting dies and punches. 

The Upset is admitted by all who have used it to ba the SUK- 
KsrrjRip and easiest wop.ker. 

Upsets buggy Axles and oidinary "WAGON TIRES one- 
inch at a heat. Will upset axles or any kind of iron from }^ to 1 
inch thick. 

Easily handled by one man. Reqnirei no change. Js t'le 
strongest (weight 460 pounds), handiest aid most durable machine. 

Machines compleie have Stands, Three Dies, Four Punches 
and Forged Steel Lever. Mew Punches by mail, postage paid 6U 
cent3 eacli. 

Extras.— RIPPIXO SHEARS for cutting cir tinu us strips 
and SAW GUMMER. FOR SALE BY CARRIAC^E AM) 
HEAVY HARDWARE-HOUSES. For further pani.uUi^ addresi 

BLACK GIANT CO., 

OLEAN, N. Y. 



THE STANDARD TOOL CO., 

CLEVELAND, OHIO, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

TWIST DRILLS, REAMERS, CHUCKS, ETC., 




STRAIGHT SHANK DRILLS, 




BIT STOCK DRILLS, 




Drills to fit Blacksmiths' Drill Presses, Square 
Shank Drills, Milling Cutters and Special Tools 
made to order promptly. 



RTOTr>n4R» I.IGMTBJI?«0 UPSKTTER.. 




■B^'O'XJTOlsr 



\m & Eriing Worts, 

DETROIT, MICH. 

Established 1852. 

UPSETTERS. BENDERS, 



JTHE , 
BETRbiT 



IRON 8HERR8, HAND PUNCHES, 
ANVILS AND VISES, ETC. 
^ ^ — Our Automatic, Quick-lift Stee/ 
W ■■ Tackle Block will hold load 
at any point. 



OVE^ 10,000 9N USE. 



AsS your Dealer for Catalogue. 

IT WILL PAY YOU. 



FISHER & NQRRIS, Trenton, N. J. ( 



EAGLE 
ANVIL WORKS. 



), 



ORIGINAL A.ND ONLY MAKERS OF THE 
QC 



WARRANTED TH A Q- T .TH " 



Belter llian tie Eest Englisli AiiTiL 

Best Tool Cast-Steel. Perfectly Welded. 

Perfectly True. 

C I the hardest temper and never " to settle." 
Horn of tough 
u 11 1 e in fi e r e d 
steel, never o 
break or b'-nd. 
Only anvil 
made in U, S. 
J~i(l y Tvarrnnt- 
id as a b o 7' e . 

None genuine luii/tout our Eagle 
Trade-Mark and "FISHER, " 

Anvils of 100 to 800 lbs, 10c per lb. 

t?r- AVhere our EAGLE ANVILS are not 
kept for sale by the rej^nilar Dealers, we will al- 
low a discount to any purchaser sendingf us the 
amount with his order, and will forward' by low- 
est freiofht. Wi'ite for Circular of Descrip- 
tion and Cash Discount, 




Latest Patents, 

April 24,1877, and 
May 13 1887, 
and June 28, 

1887. 




IRON AND STEEL, 

AND 

Slacksnith's Machines. 

IMPORTERS OF NORWAY IRON, 

Everything, largeorsmall, to conipletean 
outfit. State the articles of which j'ou 

desire inforniatiou. 
CATALOGUE FREE. SEND ADDRESS. 

419 &. 421 N. Second Street, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 




CRESCENT STEEL 

For Tools and Dies of all kinds, has the preference of com- 
petent steel-workers, because it does the most work and gives least 
trouble. — .^-^— ^— ^ 

CRESCENT STEEL WORKS, 

Western Warehouse: PITTSBURGH, JPA. Eastern Warehouse: 

U &. 66 S. Clinton St., Clicago. 480 Pearl St., New Yorlc. 



Kstabllshod 18Sa. 




BRADLEY'S POWER HAMMERS • 

The BEST in l^S Ovhr 

15 00 



the WORLD. 
RUN BY BELT 




I!UAI>1,KV S 
UPRIGHT HAMMER. 



In use: 



Bradley's HEATIIVO Forces 

^ Indispensable in all shops to keep BKADIjEY'S 
rf CUNHIOIVED HAlTIinERS and men fully em- 
ployed and reduce the cost of production. 

BRAOI^HV & CO., Syracuse, T^. Y, 

BRADLKV'S SOFT i> •• •> r, BRADLKV's HARD COAL 

COAL FORGE. oJ Murray St., Aew York ; 98 Sudbury St., Boston, Mass. hsatino fokgk. 

THE WORLD'S STANDARD. 




7>J. 



'mmm 



^^^''^^'^^'^^LowERS, Exhausters,..^ 
|iEATiNG Furnaces. '^^^'' 

IIAND^LOWERS, glACKS MITH DRILLS . 

231 






AMERICA'S BEST. 



